Harriet Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by jacquisup
Summary: Sequel to Harriet Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Prequel to Welcome to the family. Since Harriet dates Neville it's going to be a quartet. It's their fifth year and is going to be busy. Voldemort is back, the Order of the Phoenix is back and this year's DADA is from the Ministry.
1. Chapter 1

6/2/19- 7/12/19

Harriet was walking to the park on a hot day. When she got there she watched a boy going around.

"Come on, guys, time to go home. Come on, love, off you get." his mum said sticking her hand out.

"Do we have to?" the boy said.

"Yes, we do. I'll make you your favorite dinner to compensate." she said.

So he hopped off and followed his mum.

"…squealed like a pig, didn't he?" Malcolm was saying, to guffaws from the others.

"Nice right hook, Big D," said Piers.

"Same time tomorrow?" said Dudley.

"Round at my place, my parents will be out," said Gordon.

"See you then," said Dudley.

"Bye, Dud!"

"See ya, Big D!"

Harriet waited for the rest of the gang to move on before setting off again. When their voices had faded once more he headed around the corner into Magnolia Crescent and by walking very quickly she soon came within hailing distance of Dudley, who was strolling along at his ease, humming tunelessly.

"Hey, Big D!"

Dudley turned.

"Oh," he grunted. "It's you."

"How long have you been 'Big D' then?" said Harriet.

"Shut it," snarled Dudley, turning away.

"Cool name," said Harriet, grinning and falling into step beside her cousin. "But you'll always be 'Ickle Diddykins' to me."

"I said, SHUT IT!" said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists.

"Don't the boys know that's what your mum calls you?"

"Shut your face."

"You don't tell her to shut her face. What about 'Popkin' and 'Dinky Diddydums', can I use them then?"

Dudley said nothing. The effort of keeping himself from hitting Harriet seemed to demand all his self-control.

"So who've you been beating up tonight?" Harriet asked his grin fading. "Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago -"

"He was asking for it," snarled Dudley.

"Oh yeah?"

"He cheeked me."

"Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? Cause that's not cheek, Dud, that's true."

A muscle was twitching in Dudley's jaw.

They turned right down the narrow alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. It was empty and much darker than the streets it linked because there were no streetlamps. Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a high fence on the other.

"Think you're a big girl carrying that thing, don't you?" Dudley said after a few seconds.

"What thing?"

"That - that thing you are hiding."

Harriet grinned again. "Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud? But I s'pose, if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time."

Harriet pulled out her wand. She saw Dudley look sideways at it.

"You're not allowed," Dudley said at once. "I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to."

"How d'you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?"

"They haven't," said Dudley, though he didn't sound completely convinced.

Harriet laughed softly.

"You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?" Dudley snarled.

"Where as you just need four mates behind you before you can beat up a ten year old. You know that boxing title you keep banging on about? How old was your opponent? Seven? Eight?"

"He was sixteen, for your information," snarled Dudley, "and he was out cold for twenty minutes after I'd finished with him and he was twice as heavy as you. You just wait till I tell Dad you had that thing out –"

"Running to Daddy now, are you? Is his ickle boxing champ frightened of nasty Harriet's wand?"

"Not this brave at night, are you?" sneered Dudley.

"This is night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this."

"I mean when you're in bed!" Dudley snarled.

He had stopped walking. Harriet stopped too, staring at her cousin.

From the little she could see of Dudley's large face, he was wearing a strangely triumphant look.

"What d'you mean, I'm not brave when I'm in bed?" said Harriet, completely nonplussed. "What am I supposed to be frightened of, pillows or something?"

"I heard you last night," said Dudley breathlessly. "Talking in your sleep. Moaning."

"What d'you mean?" Harriet said again.

Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter then adopted a high-pitched whimpering voice.

"'Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric - your boyfriend?"

"I - you're lying, and besides Neville is my boyfriend." said Harriet automatically.

"Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad! Boo hoo!"

"Shut up," said Harriet quietly. "Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!"

"Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to - don't you point that thing at me!"

Dudley backed into the alley wall. Harriet was pointing the wand directly at Dudley's heart.

"Don't ever talk about that again," Harriet snarled. "D'you understand me?"

"Point that thing somewhere else!"

"I said, do you understand me?"

"Point it somewhere else!"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM -"

Dudley gave an odd, shuddering gasp, as though he had been doused in icy water.

Something had happened to the night. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch black and lightless - the stars, the moon, the misty streetlamps at either end of the alley had vanished. The distant rumble of cars and the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.

For a split second Harriet thought she had done magic without meaning to, despite the fact that she'd been resisting as hard as she could - then her reason caught up with her senses - she didn't have the power to turn off the stars. She turned her head this way and that, trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on her eyes like a weightless veil.

Dudley's terrified voice broke in Harriet's ear.

"W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything! Shut up and don't move!"

"I c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I -"

"I said shut up!"

Harriet stood stock still, turning her sightless eyes left and right. The cold was so intense she was shivering all over;

"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered. "W-where are you? What are you d-do—?"

"Will you shut up?" Harriet hissed, "I'm trying to lis —"

But she fell silent. She had heard just the thing she had been dreading.

There was something in the alleyway apart from themselves, something that was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths.

"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you even though you're a girl, I swear I will!"

"Dudley, shut—"

WHAM.

A fist made contact with the side of Harriet's head, lifting her off her feet; next moment, she had landed hard on the ground and her wand had flown out of her hand.

"You moron, Dudley!" Harriet yelled, her eyes watering with pain as she scrambled to her hands and knees, feeling around frantically in the blackness.

She heard Dudley blundering away, hitting the alley fence, stumbling.

"DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT!"

There was a horrible squealing yell and Dudley's footsteps stopped. At the same moment, Harriet felt a creeping chill behind her that could mean only one thing. There was more than one.

"DUDLEY, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Wand!" Harriet muttered frantically, her hands flying over the ground like spiders.

"Where's - wand -come on _-lumos!_"

She said the spell automatically; desperate for light to help her in her search - and to her disbelieving relief, light flared inches from her right hand - the wand tip had ignited.

Harriet snatched it up scrambled to her feet and turned around. A towering, hooded figure was gliding smoothly towards her, hovering over the ground, no feet or face visible beneath its robes, sucking on the night as it came.

Stumbling backwards, Harriet raised her wand.

_"Expecto patronum!"_

A silvery wisp of vapour shot from the tip of the wand and the Dementor slowed, but the spell hadn't worked properly; tripping over her own feet, Harriet retreated further as the Dementor bore down upon her, panic fogging her brain -concentrate–

A pair of grey, slimy, scabbed hands slid from inside the Dementor's robes, reaching for her. A rushing noise filled Harriet's ears.

_"Expecto patronum!"_

Her voice sounded dim and distant. Another wisp of silver smoke, feebler than the last, drifted from the wand - she couldn't do it any more, she couldn't work the spell.

There was laughter inside her own head, shrill, high-pitched laughter… she could smell the Dementor's putrid, death-cold breath filling her own lungs, drowning her- think… something happy…

But there was no happiness in her… the Dementor's icy fingers were closing on her throat – the high-pitched laughter was growing louder and louder, and a voice spoke inside her head:

"Bow to death Harriet... it might not even be painful... I don't know because I have never died..."

She was never going to see Neville, Ron and Hermione again –

And their faces burst clearly into her mind as she fought for breath.

_"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

An enormous silver doe erupted from the tip of Harriet's wand; its hooves caught the Dementor in the place where the heart should have been; it was thrown backwards, weightless as darkness, and as the doe charged, the Dementor swooped away, bat-like and defeated.

"THIS WAY!" Harriet shouted at the doe.

Wheeling around, she sprinted down the alleyway, holding the lit wand aloft.

"DUDLEY? DUDLEY!"

She had run barely a dozen steps when she reached them: Dudley was curled up on the ground, his arms clamped over his face. A second Dementor was crouching low over him, gripping his wrists in its slimy hands, prizing them slowly almost lovingly apart, lowering its hooded head towards Dudley's face as though about to kiss him.

"GET IT!" Harriet bellowed, and with a rushing, roaring sound, the silver doe she had conjured came galloping past her.

The Dementors eyeless face was barely an inch from Dudley's when the silver hooves caught it; the thing was thrown up into the air and, like its fellow, it soared away and was absorbed into the darkness; the doe cantered to the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist.

When it was gone she bent down to Dudley then heard something. So she turned her head.

"Mrs. Figg." she said trying to hide her wand.

"Don't put away your wand, Harriet. They might come back." Mrs. Figg said.

Then they started walking home. Harriet had Dudley on her shoulder while they walked. It was hard but she did the best she could.

"Dementors in Little Whinging, whatever next? Whole world's gone topsy-turvy." Mrs. Figg said.

"I don't understand. How do you know...?" Harriet started.

"Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on you." Mrs. Figg said.

"Dumbledore asked you? You know Dumbledore?"

"I'm a squib like Mr. Filch. I know you're still learning about the wizarding world. After You-Know-Who killed that poor Diggory boy last year... did you expect him to let you go wandering on your own? Good Lord, girl. They told me you were intelligent. Now, get inside and stay there. Expect someone will be in touch soon. Whatever happens, don't leave the house." she said gently pushing Harriet to the door.

She was a little surprised her neighbor was a squib.

"It is hot. That's right, hot everywhere. There's sweat. There's stifling." the weather man said.

"Diddykins? Is that you?" Aunt Petunia said.

Then she looked over to her side and saw Harriet with Dudley on her shoulder.

"Duddy. Vernon, come quick."

He was having ice cream from the freezer then looked at her.

"We're going to have to take him to a hospital." Petunia said sitting next to Dudley.

"Who did this to you, boy?" Uncle Vernon asked.

Dudley pointed at Harriet who was sitting on the side of the other chair.

"Happy, are we, now? You've finally done it. You've finally driven him loopy."

"Vernon, don't say that."

"Well, just look at him, Petunia. Our boy has gone yumpy. I've reached my limit, do you hear? This is the last I'm gonna take of you and your nonsense."

Then he was interrupted by an owl that fell on the ground. Then it got up and left after the letter.

A few seconds later the letter got up and started talking.

_"Dear Ms. Potter."_ it started.

_ The Ministry has received intelligence that at 6:23 this evening... you performed the Patronus Charm in the presence of a Muggle. As a clear violation... of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery... you are hereby expelled... from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hoping you are well,_

_ Mafalda Hopkirk_.

"Justice." Uncle Vernon said smirking.

When they got outside Uncle Vernon covered Dudley's face while Petunia opened the door.

They saw Mrs. Figg look at them.

"He's not very well." he mouthed.

While they did that Harriet slammed her hand on her clothes drawer.

While she did that the picture of her parents fell on the ground. She picked it and then looked at Hedwig.

"Sorry, Hedwig." she said and put it on her nightstand.

A few minutes later she was asleep and saw the night Voldemort was back and watched Cedric being killed.

Then she woke up and heard something. She put her glasses back on and took out her wand while someone unlocked her door.

"Very clean, these Muggles." someone said.

"Tonks, for God's sake." someone else said.

"Unnatural." a third person said.

When she saw who it was she was surprised.

"Professor Moody. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Rescuing you, of course." he said.

A few minutes later they were outside leaving.

"But where are we going? The letter said I've been expelled." she said.

"You haven't been. Not yet. Kingsley, you take point." Moody said.

"But the letter said..." she started.

"Dumbledore persuaded the minister to suspend your expulsion... pending a formal hearing." Kingsley said.

"A hearing?"

"Don't worry Harriet. We'll explain everything when we get back to headquarters." Tonks said.

"Not here, Nymphadora." Moody said.

Her hair turned red in anger.

"Don't call me Nymphadora."

Then Moody hit the ground with his cane and brooms appeared.

"Stay in formation, everyone. Don't break ranks if one of us is killed." he said.

Then they all started flying around London.

"Come on, you, around the corner. Come on." Moody said when they were on the ground.

They stood there while Moody hit the ground three times. When he was done the building started to break up and then there was another building.

"In you go, girl." he said.

After him calling her 'girl' she twitched for a second. Then started to walk.

While they walked around Harriet looked around. Then she heard something.

"There've been no sightings. No deaths. No proof." someone said.

"He almost killed Harriet. If that isn't proof enough..." someone else said.

"Yes, but guarding you-know-what is the most important..." another person said.

"We must trust Dumbledore on this." a different person said.

"Was he able to protect Harriet last year?"

"Well, tonight I say it's time to take action. Cornelius Fudge is a politician first and a wizard second. He made almost everyone forget what happened last year at the third task."

"His instinct would be to ignore it..."

"Keep your voices down."

"He's getting stronger and stronger by the minute. We have to act now." Sirius said.

She smiled when she saw him and Remus.

"Harriet." Molly said and shut the door.

"Mrs. Weasley." Harriet said smiling still.

Then Molly gave her a hug.

"Heavens, you're all right. Bit peaky, but I'm afraid dinner will wait until after the meeting's finished."

Harriet opened her mouth but was cut off.

"Nope. No time to explain. Straight upstairs, first door on the left."

Harriet looked up and then started to go up. While she did that she looked at Molly.

"Yeah."

On her way to the room she saw a house elf.

"Mudblood, werewolves, traitors, thieves. If my poor mistress knew the scum they let into her house... what would she say to old Kreacher? Oh, the shame."

"Freaks." someone said.

"There, there, mistress. Scum of the earth. Not like it was in the days of my fathers. Kreacher is here."

When she found the room she nodded opened the door and was hit by someone.

"Oh, Harriet!" Hermione said giving her a hug.

"Are you all right? We overheard them talking about the Dementor attack." Hermione said.

She looked at Ron. "You must tell us everything."

"Let the girl breathe, Hermione." Ron said.

"And this hearing at the Ministry. It's just outrageous. I've looked it up. They simply can't expel you. It's completely unfair!" Hermione said.

"Yeah. There's a lot of that going round at the moment. So, what is this place?" Harriet said.

"It's headquarters." Ron said.

"Of the Order of the Phoenix. It's a secret society. Dumbledore formed it back when they fought You-Know-Who." Hermione said smiling.

"Couldn't have put any of this in a letter, I suppose? I've gone all summer without a scrap of news. Not even Neville or Sirius!" Harriet said looking at them.

"We wanted to write, mate. Really, we did especially Neville. Only..." Ron said.

"Only what?" she asked.

"Only Dumbledore made us all swear not to tell you anything. We don't know why Neville though." Hermione said.

"Dumbledore said that? But why would he keep me in the dark? Maybe I could help. I mean I'm the one who saw Voldemort return... the one who fought him, who saw Cedric Diggory get killed."

Then out of nowhere Fred and George appeared.

"Harriet." George said.

"Thought we heard your dulcet tones." Fred said.

"Don't bottle it up, though, mate. Let it out." George said.

"If you're all done shouting..." Fred said.

"Do you wanna hear something a little more interesting?" George said.

"If anyone has a right to know, it's Harriet. If it wasn't for Harriet... we wouldn't even know Voldemort was back." Sirius said.

"She's not a child, Sirius. But she's not an adult either. She's not James, Sirius." she said.

"Well, she's not your daughter." he said.

"She's as good as. Who else has she got?" she said.

'Well I'm not and I have Sirius. And I never was a child.' Harriet thought.

"She's got me." Sirius said.

"How touchingly paternal, Black. Perhaps Potter will grow up to be a felon, just like her godfather." Snape said.

"Now, you stay out of this, Snivellus."

"Snape's part of the Order?" Harriet said.

_'Snivellus?'_ she wondered.

They nodded.

"Git." Ron said.

"...about your supposed reformation." Snape said.

"I know better. So why don't you tell her?"

Then Crookshanks started to play with the ear.

"Get off it." Fred said.

"Quick." George said.

"Get it up." Ginny said.

"Crookshanks. Stop it." Hermione said.

"Get off, you bloody cat." Fred said.

"Crookshanks. Leave it alone." Hermione said.

"Get it up." George said.

Then she got it off and carried it with her while she left.

"Hermione, I hate your cat." Ron said.

"Bad Crookshanks." she said.


	2. Chapter 2

Half an hour later they were heading to the kitchen.

"Well, we'll be eating down in the kitchen." Molly started but then jumped when Fred and George came out of nowhere causing her to jump.

"Oh! Just because you're allowed to use magic now... does not mean you have to whip your wands out for everything!" she said while they left.

"Hi, Mum." Ginny said.

"You hungry, Harriet?" Molly said smiling again.

"You sure you're all right, Harriet? Gave us quite a turn." Arthur said.

"Harriet Potter." Sirius said opening his arms.

"Sirius." she said running to him and hugging him.

Remus stood behind him smiling.

"This is very, very peculiar. It seems your hearing in the Ministry is to be before the entire Wizengamot." Arthur said.

"I don't understand. What has the Ministry of Magic got against me?" Harriet asked.

"Show her." Moody said.

"She'll find out soon enough." Remus said.

So Arthur passed her the paper and she read it.

_'Harriet Potter, the girl who lied?'_

_'Fudge, "All is well."_

"He's been attacking Dumbledore as well. Fudge is using all his power, including his influence at the Daily Prophet... to smear anyone who claims the Dark Lord has returned." Sirius said.

"Why? They all saw what happened last year! What did he do, obliviate them all?" she asked.

"Snape said that Voldemort made his Death Eaters obliviate everyone but you, Dumbledore, current and former Order members and your friends." Sirius said.

"He also thinks Dumbledore's after his job. As for last year, we think he did." Remus said.

"No one in their right mind could believe that..."

"Exactly the point. Fudge isn't in his right mind. It's been twisted and warped by fear. Now, fear makes people do terrible things, Harriet. The last time Voldemort gained power... he almost destroyed everything we hold most dear. Now he's returned, and I'm afraid the minister will do almost anything... to avoid facing that terrifying truth." Remus said.

"We think Voldemort wants to build up his army again. Fourteen years ago, he had huge numbers at his command. And not just witches and wizards, but all manner of dark creatures. He's been recruiting heavily, and we've been attempting to do the same. But gathering followers isn't the only thing he's interested in. We believe... Voldemort may be after something." Sirius said.

"Sirius." Moody said.

"Something he didn't have last time."

"You mean like a weapon?" she asked.

"No. That's enough. She's just a girl. You say more and you might as well induct her into the Order." Molly said.

"Good. I want to join. If Voldemort's raising an army, then I want to fight!" she said.

Sirius clapped his hands together and winked.

"And besides, I never _was_ a child." she whispered.

Being a werewolf Remus heard what she said curious. Sirius heard a bit of it to from being a dog animagus and sitting close to her.

After hearing that they looked at each other wondering the same thing.

_'Never a child? What could she mean?'_

Later that night she slept with Ron. While she slept she had a dream about earlier today.

_"Harriet. You are hereby expelled. Before the entire Wizengamot."_


	3. Chapter 3

The next day Harriet and Arthur were on their way to the ministry.

"Trains. Underground. Ingenious, these Muggles." Arthur said.

While people got through he put his hand like everyone else but it didn't work. He tried to do it again but it didn't work again.

Harriet took her card and pushed it then did the same thing. Then he went through and Harriet did the same thing.

So they kept going and stopped in a phone room.

"Here we are. I've never used the visitors' entrance before. Should be fun. Right. Good. I'll just get my Muggle money. Terrible. Lost a lot of Galleons trading on the potions market." Arthur said.

While they went down Harriet looked up.

When they got out they were at the ministry. Harriet looked around a bit.

"Daily Prophet, ladies and gentlemen. Anybody for Daily Prophet? Dumbledore: Is he daft, or is he dangerous?" someone said.

Then they headed to the elevator.

"Morning, Arthur." someone said.

"Morning, Bob." he said.

Then they saw paper come and looked like birds. Harriet looked at them confused.

"Interdepartmental memos. We used to use owls. Mess was unbelievable." Arthur explained.

Then Kingsley came and whispered something to Arthur.

"Merlin's beard. Thank you, Kingsley. They've changed the time of your hearing." he said.

"When is it?" she asked.

"In five minutes."

A few minutes later they were where they needed to be.

"Department of Mysteries." the elevator said.

While they were on their way they saw the minister talking to Lucius.

"And I'm confident, minister, that you will do the right thing." Lucius said.

"Yes, but we must be..."

Then they looked at Harriet and she looked back. Then Arthur gently pushed her to keep going.

"Remember, during the hearing, speak only when you're spoken to. Keep calm. You've done nothing wrong. As the Muggles say, truth will out. Yes?" Arthur said.

She nodded.

"I'm not allowed in, I'm afraid. Good luck, Harriet."

So she headed to the court room and sat down.

"Disciplinary hearing of the 12th of August... into offenses committed by Harriet Lily Potter... resident at Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Mag..." Fudge started but was interrupted.

"Witness for the defense. Albus Percival Wulfric... Brian Dumbledore." Dumbledore said.

"You got our message that the time and place of the hearing... had been changed, did you?" Fudge said.

"I must have missed it. But by a happy mistake, I arrived at the Ministry three hours early. The charges?" Dumbledore said.

"The charges against the accused are as follows: That she did knowingly... and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions... produce a Patronus Charm... in the presence of a Muggle. Do you deny producing said Patronus?" Fudge said.

"No, but..." she started.

"And you were aware that you were forbidden to use magic outside school... while under the age of 17?" he continued.

"Yes, I was, but..."

"Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot..."

"I was only doing it because of the Dementors. And the person that saw that was my cousin who knows I'm a witch. Aunt Petunia is my mum's sister." she said.

"Dementors? In Little Whinging?" Madam Bones said.

"That's quite clever. Muggles can't see Dementors, can they, girl? Highly convenient." Fudge asked.

She twitched a little at the word 'girl' again.

"I'm not lying. There were two of them, and if I hadn't..." she started after she was back to her old self.

"Enough." he started with a hand up. "I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure would have been a very well-rehearsed story... but since you can produce no witnesses of the event..."

"Pardon me, minister, but as it happens, we can." Dumbledore said.

Harriet was surprised to but then remembered Mrs. Figg was there and a squib. So when she saw her she got up and sat down somewhere else.

Dumbledore winked at Harriet.

"Please describe the attack. What did they look like?" Madam Bones said after Mrs. Figg sat down.

"Well, one of them was very large and the other rather skinny." Mrs. Figg said after she sat down and waited.

"Not the kids. The Dementors." Fudge said.

"Oh, right, right. Well, big. Cloaked. Then everything went cold... as though all the happiness had gone from the world." she said.

"Now, look here. Dementors don't just wander into a Muggle suburb... and happen across a wizard. The odds are astronomical." Fudge said.

"I don't think anyone would believe... the Dementors were there by coincidence, minister." Dumbledore said.

Then someone cleared their throat.

"I'm sure I must have misunderstood you, professor. Dementors are, after all, under the control of the Ministry of Magic. And it's so silly of me, but it sounded, for a moment as though... you were suggesting that the Ministry had ordered the attack on this girl." she said.

"That would be disturbing indeed, Madam Undersecretary... which is why I'm sure the Ministry will be mounting a full-scale inquiry... into why the two Dementors were so very far from Azkaban... and why they mounted an attack without authorization. Of course, there is someone... who might be behind the attack." Dumbledore started.

Then he walked over to Fudge.

"Cornelius, I implore you to see reason. The evidence that the Dark Lord has returned is incontrovertible."

"He is not back." he said.

Then Dumbledore turned around and started walking in a circle.

"In the matter of Harriet Potter... the law clearly states... that magic may be used before Muggles in life-threatening situations."

"Laws can be changed if necessary, Dumbledore!"

"Clearly. Has it become practice to hold a full criminal trial... to deal with a simple matter of underage magic?"

They all sat there quietly for a few minutes until Madam Bones said something.

"Those in favor of conviction?" Madam Bones said.

Some people raised their hand.

"Those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?" she continued.

Everyone else raised their hand. Mrs. Figg did a little. Fudge pointed around.

"Cleared of all charges." he said.

Harriet smiled and started to walk to Dumbledore.

"Professor."

But he left without looking at her.


	4. Chapter 4

Before they knew it they were at Kings Cross and Sirius was in his animagus. Harriet walked next to him and he started barking.

"Snuffles. Are you barking mad? You'll blow the entire operation."

He started going to a different room and transformed into himself.

"Sirius. Sirius, what are you doing here? If somebody sees you..." she started.

"I had to see you off, didn't I? What's life without a little risk?" he said and sat down.

"I don't wanna see you get chucked back in Azkaban." she said and sat next to him.

"Don't worry about me. Anyway, I wanted you to have this."

He handed her a picture of people.

"Original Order of the Phoenix. Marlene McKinnon. She was killed two weeks after this was taken. Voldemort wiped out her entire family. Frank and Alice Longbottom." he said.

"Neville's parents." she said.

"They suffered a fate worse than death, you ask me." Then they saw a picture of Sirius, Remus, Peter, James and Lily together. "It's been 14 years. And still a day doesn't go by I don't miss your dad." he said.

"Do you really think there's going to be a war, Sirius?" she asked and looked at him.

"It feels like it did before."

She handed him back the picture.

"You keep it. Anyway, I suppose you're the young ones now." he said and gave her a hug.

A few minutes later they were walking to a seat on the train.

"I'll see you at the train."

"Bye-bye, darling. I love you."

"Hold my hand, lovey."

"There they are. They're in the far carriage. Bye."

While she stood there she saw a man with Voldemort's face.

"Hi Harriet." someone said.

She jumped, automatically took out her wand and saw Neville with a plant in his hand.

She sighed in relief.

"Hi." she said and gave him a hug.

So they took hands and headed to find a seat. On the way to school Harriet turned her neck and sat there quietly.

Neville looked at her wondering what she was thinking about. He decided to let her sit there for a while.

When they got to school the four of them walked over to the cart.

"I'm surprised the Ministry's still letting you walk around free. Better enjoy it while you can. I expect there's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it." Malfoy said.

She started to jump over to him but Ron grabbed her before she got him.

"What'd I tell you? Complete nutter."

"Just stay away from me!" she yelled.

"It's only Malfoy. What'd you expect?" Ron said.

She got him off of her and then felt something. She turned around and was a little surprised.

"What is it?" she asked.

"What's what?" Ron asked.

"That. Pulling the carriage." she said.

"Nothing's pulling the carriage, Harriet. It's pulling itself, like always." Hermione said.

Harriet looked at it and hopped onto the seat next to Neville.

"You're not going mad. I can see them too. You're just as sane as I am." someone said.

Then she put her paper down.

"Everyone, this is Loony Love... Luna Lovegood. What an interesting necklace." Hermione said.

"It's a charm, actually. Keeps away the Nargles. Hungry. I hope there's pudding." Luna said.

"What's a Nargle?" Ron whispered.

"No idea." Hermione said.

While they were on their way there Harriet held Neville's hand and thought about something.

When they were in the great hall Harriet sat next to Neville and saw Seamus looking at her and looked back.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore.

"First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too." (Harriet, Ron and Hermione exchanged smirks. Neville had joined the group last year after he started dating Harriet but hadn't been in any trouble, _yet_) Dumbledore said.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubby-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, to remind you-."

Then he was cut off by someone. And looked at them.

"Hem, hem," and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.

"She was at my hearing. She works for Fudge." Harriet said.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."

Her voice was high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish and, again.

"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

"Less likely." said Fred and George together.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…

"because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

When she sat down Dumbledore started clapping.

"Thank you Professor."

"What's it mean?" Harriet asked.

"It means the ministry is interfering with Hogwarts." Hermione said.

After dinner when they got to the common room everything went quiet. When they saw some of their friends they nodded.

"Dean, Seamus. Good holiday?" Harriet asked.

"All right. Better than Seamus', anyway." Dean said.

"Me mum didn't want me to come back this year." Seamus said putting a Prophet down.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Let me see uh. Because of Harriet. The Daily Prophet's been saying a lot of things about you and Dumbledore."

"What, your mum believes them?" Harriet asked.

"Nobody was there the night Cedric died." Seamus said.

'You all saw what happened. Then Voldemort's Death Eaters just obliviated you.'

"I guess you should read the Prophet, then, like your stupid mother." she said.

"Don't talk about my mother." Seamus said.

"I'll have a go at anyone that calls me a liar." she said.

"What's going on?" Ron asked.

"She's mad, is what's going on. Do you believe the rubbish she's come out with about You-Know-Who?"

"Yeah, we do. Does anyone else have a problem with Harriet?" Neville asked.

They got no answer. So she gave him a kiss good night and they went to their dormitories.

"You alright?" Hermione asked.

"Fine." she said taking her tie off.

"Seamus was bang out of order. But he'll come through, you'll see." Hermione said.

"I said, I'm fine, Hermione." she snapped.

Hermione nodded a little surprised.

"Right. I'll just leave you to your thoughts, then."

_"Harriet."_ someone said while she was asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day they were all sitting at a desk playing with a paper bird at Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Bring it over here. Over here. Oh, go on, Seamus. Go on, get it." Dean said.

So he hit the bird. Then Crabbe hit it.

A few seconds later the paper was on the ground. They all turned around and saw the Professor.

"Good morning, children." she said and started writing something.

"Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations. O-W-L. More commonly known as OWLs.

Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be severe." she said.

She waved her wand and some books started to go to the desks.

"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you'll be pleased to know, from now on... you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved... course of defensive magic."

Then Hermione raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"There's nothing in here about using defensive spells?" she said.

"Using spells? Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom."

"We're not gonna use magic?" Ron asked.

"You'll be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way."

"What use is that? If we're attacked, it won't be risk-free." Harriet said.

'Especially me, Ron and Hermione every year.' she thought.

Ron and Hermione thought the same thing.

"Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class. It is the view of the Ministry... that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient... to get you through your examinations... which, after all, is what school is all about."

"And how's theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" Harriet asked.

"There is nothing out there, dear. Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourself?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe Lord Voldemort."

They all sat quietly for a few seconds.

"Now, let me make this quite plain. You have been told... that a certain dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

"It's not a lie. I saw him. I fought him. You saw what happened last year!"

"Detention, Ms. Potter."

"So according to you Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?"

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident."

"It was murder. Voldemort killed him. You must know that!"

"Enough! Enough. See me later, Ms. Potter. My office."

A few hours later Harriet was at Umbridge's office. Then she knocked the door.

"Come in." she said with something on her hand.

"Good evening, Ms. Potter. Sit. You're going to be doing some lines for me today, Ms. Potter."

She opened her bag and started to grab a quill.

"No, not with your quill. Going to be using a rather special one of mine. Now... I want you to write, "I must not tell lies."

"How many times?"

"Well, let's say for as long as it takes for the message to sink in."

"You haven't given me any ink."

"Oh, you won't need any ink."

So Harriet started writing the words on the parchment. While she did that she felt pain going on her hand. She looked at her hand and was surprised at what was on it.

_I must not tell lies. _

She looked at Umbridge for a second.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"That's right. Because you know, deep down... you deserve to be punished. Don't you, Ms. Potter? Go on."

When she was done she sat on the Gryffindor couch studying.

"Skiving Snackboxes." Fred said.

"Sweets that make you ill." George said.

"Get out of class whenever you like." Fred said.

"Obtain hours of pleasure from unprofitable boredom." George said.

"Care for another?" Fred asked.

"I'm not asking you to write all of it for me. I've been busy studying for these stupid OWL exams." Ron said.

"I'll do the introduction. That's all." Hermione said.

"Hermione, you're honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met." Ron said.

Neville shook his head smiling at his friends. He was glad he joined the trio and made some really good friends.

"And if I'm ever rude to you again..."

"I'll know you've gone back to normal."

Then the three of them sat on the couch with Harriet.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Hermione asked.

She hid it behind her book and put her left hand down.

"Nothing."

"The other hand." Neville said gently picking it up.

"You've got to tell Dumbledore." Hermione said.

"No. Dumbledore's got enough on his mind right now. I don't want to give Umbridge the satisfaction." Harriet said.

"Bloody hell, Harriet. The woman's torturing you. If the parents knew about this..." Ron started but Neville elbowed him in the hip to get him to stop.

"Yeah well I haven't got any of those, have I, Ron?" she said.

She didn't see Neville elbow Ron or see Ron wince after that.

"Harriet, you've got to report this." Neville started and then went closer. "She's acting like a school copy of your aunt and uncle."

She looked up and looked at him for a second.

"It's perfectly simple. You're being..." Hermione said.

Then she looked at her.

"No, it's not. Hermione, whatever this is, it's not simple. You don't understand." Harriet cut her off.

Then she started to stand up.

"Then help us to." Neville said with his hand on hers.

She got off his hand and started to go upstairs.

The other three looked at her go.


	6. Chapter 6

A few days later Harriet was walking to the forest after writing to Sirius.

_Dear Padfoot, _

_ I hope you're alright. It's starting to get colder here. Winter is definitely on the way. In spite of being back at Hogwarts, I feel more alone than ever. I know you, of all people, will understand. _

"Hello, Harriet Potter." Luna said.

"Your feet. Aren't they cold?"

"Bit. Unfortunately, all my shoes have mysteriously disappeared. I suspect Nargles are behind it." Luna said.

Then she looked at the animal in front of her.

"What are they?" Harriet asked.

"They're called Thestrals. They're quite gentle, really, but people avoid them because they're a bit..."

"Different. But why can't the others see them?"

"They can only be seen by people who've seen death."

"So you've known someone who's died, then?"

"My mum. She was quite an extraordinary witch, but she did like to experiment... and one day, one of her spells went badly wrong. I was 9."

"I'm sorry."

"Yes, it was rather horrible. I do feel very sad about it sometimes, but I've got Dad. We both believe you, by the way."

Harriet looked at her.

"That He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, and you fought him... and the Ministry and the Prophet are conspiring against you."

"Thanks. It seems you're about the only ones that do."

"I don't think that's true. But I suppose that's how he wants you to feel."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I were You-Know-Who ...I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else... because if it's just you alone... you're not as much of a threat."

Then she tossed the thestreal a snack.

Neville, Ron and Hermione were at the table having breakfast and Ron was reading while shoving food in his mouth.

"Do you ever stop eating?" Hermione asked.

"What? I'm hungry." he said.

"Harriet." Neville said.

"Can I join you?" she asked.

Then they started to hear someone talk.

"Pardon me, professor, but what exactly are you insinuating?" Umbridge asked.

"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students... you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices." McGonagall said.

"So silly of me, but it sounds... as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom... Minerva." Umbridge said and took a step up.

"Not at all, Dolores, merely your medieval methods." McGonagall said stepping up to.

"I am sorry, dear. But to question my practices is to question the Ministry... and by extension, the minister himself. I am a tolerant woman... but the one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty." Umbridge said.

"Disloyalty." McGonagall said with a step down.

"Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared. Cornelius will want to take immediate action."

Sure enough there were people that work for a newspaper asking Umbridge questions.

"What happened to Dumbledore?"

"Having already revolutionized... the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts... Dolores Umbridge will, as high inquisitor, have powers... to address the seriously falling standards at Hogwarts School." Fudge said.

She was walking around the school asking teachers questions.

She was in divination right now.

"Just one question dear. You've been in this post how long?" Umbridge asked Trelawney.

Another time it was potions.

"You applied to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts is that correct?"

"Yes." Snape said.

"But you were unsuccessful?"

"Obviously." he said.

When she left Ron snickered. Then Snape smacked the back of his head with a book.

That got Harriet and Neville having trouble not to laugh.

Back in divination,

"Could you please, predict something for me?"

"I'm sorry?" Trelawney asked in shock.

She was listening to music with Professor Flitwick.

"Move those mouths!" he said.

Then a pink measuring tape came and measured him.

"One, teensy little prophecy?"

Trelawney stood there quietly for a few seconds.

"Pity." she said and started writing something.

"No no wait I think I do see something, I see something dark. You, are in grave danger." Trelawney said.

"Lovely."

Later that day people were going outside.

"Cho! Cho what's going on?" Harriet asked her.

"It's Professor Trelawney." Cho said.

Mr. Filch put down another bag of her things. Then Umbridge came.

"Sixteen years I've lived and worked here. Hogwarts is my home. You can't do this."

Then Umbridge took out some paper.

"Actually I can."

A few seconds later McGonagall was walking over to her. Then put her arms around her.

"Something you'd like to say dear?" Umbridge asked smiling.

"Oh there are several things I would like to say. Shh, shh." McGonagall said.

Then the door opened and Dumbledore came.

"Professor McGonagall, may I ask you to bring Sybill back inside?" he said.

"Oh thank you." she said smiling.

"Dumbledore, may I remind you that under the terms... of Educational Decree Number You have the right to dismiss my teachers." Umbridge said.

"You do not, however, have the authority to banish them from the grounds. That power remains with the headmaster." he said.

"For now." she said.

"Don't you all have studying?" he said then turned around and Harriet called out his name.

"Professor? Professor Dumbledore! Professor!"

She got no answer.


	7. Chapter 7

Later that night Harriet, Ron, Neville and Hermione were in the common room. Hermione was pacing.

"That foul, evil, old gargoyle. We're _not_ learning how to defend ourselves. We're _not_ learning how to pass our OWLs. She's taking over the entire school!" Hermione said.

"Security has been and will remain the Ministry's top priority. Furthermore, we have convincing evidence... that these disappearances are the work... of notorious mass murderer Sirius Black." Fudge said.

"Harriet." Sirius said.

"Sirius? What are you doing here?" Harriet asked.

"Answering your letter. You said you were worried about Umbridge. What's she doing? Training you to kill half-breeds?" Sirius asked.

"Sirius she's not letting us use magic at all." Harriet said.

"Well, I'm not surprised. The latest intelligence is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat." he said.

"Combat? What does he think, we're forming some sort of wizard army?" Ron asked.

"That's exactly what he thinks. That Dumbledore is assembling his own forces to take on the Ministry. He's becoming more paranoid by the minute. The others wouldn't want me telling you this, Harriet,... but things aren't going at all well with the Order. Fudge is blocking the truth at every turn... and these disappearances are just how it started before. Voldemort is on the move."

"Well, what can we do?" Neville asked.

"Someone's coming. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. But for now, at least, it looks like you're on your own." Sirius said.

Then Hermione walked up to the window.

"He really is out there, we know that and remember. We've got to learn to defend ourselves. And if Umbridge won't tell us how we're going to need someone that can." she said.

A few days later they were on their way to Hogsheads.

"This is mad! Who'd want to be taught by me, I'm a nutter remember?" Harriet said.

"Look on the bright side: you can't be any worse than old toad face." Ron said.

"Thanks, Ron."

"I'm here for you, mate."

"Who's supposed to be meeting us, then?" Harriet asked.

"Just a couple of people." Hermione said.

When they got there they were at the hogsheads and saw a goat walking by.

"Lovely spot." Neville said.

"Thought it would be safer off the beaten track." she said.

"Matey, come back here!" someone said while a goat started leave.

A few minutes later they were all inside and waiting to hear something. So Hermione stood up and started.

"Hi. So you all know why we're here. We need a teacher. A _proper_ teacher. One who's had _realexperience_ defending themselves against the Dark Arts." Hermione said.

_'Or secretly been studying dark arts.'_ Harriet thought.

"Why?" Zabini asked.

"_Why_? Because You-Know-Who's back, you tosspot." Ron said.

"So she says." Zabini said looking at Harriet.

"So Dumbledore says." Hermione said.

"So Dumbledore says because she says. The point is, where's the proof? If Potter could tell us more about how Diggory got killed..." Zabini said.

"She's not gonna talk about Cedric, so if that's why you're here, clear out now." Neville said.

"Come on, Hermione. They're here because they think I'm some sort of f-freak." Harriet said standing up.

Neville was surprised she could say that after hearing that so often at home. But he caught her having trouble saying the word.

"Is it true you can produce a Patronus Charm?" Luna asked.

She stood there quietly.

"Yes. I've seen it." Hermione said.

"Blimey, Harriet. I didn't know you could do that." Dean said.

"And she killed a basilisk, with the sword in Dumbledore's office." Neville said with his arm around her rubbing her back so she could calm down.

After saying the word _freak_ she froze and got a picture of all the time she's been called that for fourteen years. So Neville had her sit down and held onto her.

"It's true." Ginny said.

"Third year, she fought off about a hundred Dementors at once." Ron said.

"Last year, she really did fight off You-Know-Who in the flesh." Hermione said.

"Look, it all sounds _great_ when you say it like that... but the truth is, most of that was just luck. I didn't know what I was doing half the time. I nearly always had help." Harriet said and stood up again.

"She's just being modest." Hermione said.

"No, Hermione, I'm not. Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school, if you make a mistake, you can just try again tomorrow. But out there... when you're a second away from being murdered... or watching a friend die right before your eyes... You don't know what that's like." she said.

"You're right, Harriet, we don't. That's why we need your help. Because if we're going to have any chance at beating... Voldemort..." Hermione said.

"He's really back?" someone asked.

She nodded. Then everyone started to sign the paper.

On their way back to school they talked about where to go.

"Next is where to find somewhere where Umbridge won't find out." Harriet said.

"The Shrieking Shack?" Ginny asked.

"That's too small." Harriet said.

"Forbidden Forest?" Hermione asked.

"Oh blimey no." Ron said.

"Harriet, what happens if Umbridge does find out?" Ginny asked.

"Who cares? I mean, it's sort of exciting isn't it? Breaking the rules." Hermione said.

The three of them looked at her in shock.

"Who are you and what have you done to Hermione Granger?" Ron asked.

While they headed to school they said things they knew and what to work on.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day people were watching Mr. Filch put up another rule.

'All students are here by disband.'

Harriet, Ron and Hermione were in the common room thinking about a way to work on what and when.

"Harriet, Ron, Hermione!"

"Neville? What's wrong?" Harriet said.

"I think I found somewhere to go to our lessons." he said.

They all looked at each other and then followed him.

When they got there they walked in and looked around.

"You've done it Neville!" Hermione said. "You found the Room of Requirements. It's also known as The Come and Go Room."

"So, say you really needed a toilet." Ron said.

"Charming Ronald. But yes, that is the general idea." she said.

"It's brilliant. It's like Hogwarts is helping us fight back." Harriet said.

A few days later after telling everyone they were in the Room of Requirements.

Harriet was teaching them about the stunning spell.

"Stunning is one of the most useful spell. So um, come on Nigel, give me your best shot."

"Stupefy!" he said.

He fell while Harriet missed it with a shield charm.

"Good, not bad. Alright, Ron and Hermione let's see it." she said.

Ron was about to say Stupefy but was cut off by Hermione.

"Stupefy!" she said.

"Ah!" Ron said while he fell.

Then Harriet and the other girls smiled at Hermione while Ron walked over to the boys.

"I let her do that." he said.

A few hours later they were leaving.

Throughout the time Hermione had made a copy of the Dark Mark but a coin for them.

"Now, focus on a fixed point and try again. Luna." Harriet said while she walked around.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Very good. Keep your concentration." Harriet said

She saw someone having someone else in the air.

"Great." she said.

"Stupefy!" someone said.

"Stupefy!"

"Those wishing to join the Inquisitorial Squad for extra credit... may sign up in the high inquisitor's office."

"Diminuendo!"

"Working hard is important, but there's something that matters even more: Believing in yourself." Harriet said.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Levicorpus! Got it."

"Think of it this way. Every great wizard in history has started out... as nothing more than what we are now: students. If they can do it, why not us?" she continued.

"Stupefy!" someone said.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus."

"Reducto!" Ginny said.

Then the figure turned into dust.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Then Harriet, Neville, Ron and Hermione stood in front of everyone.

So that's it for this lesson. Now, we're not gonna be meeting again until after the holidays. So just keep practicing on your own as best you can. And well done, everyone. Great, great work." Harriet said.

Everyone started clapping then got their things.

"Well done, mate." Ron said.

"Thanks." she said.

"See you after Christmas."

"See you in the Common Room, Harriet." Hermione said.

"Thanks a lot, Harriet." Dean said.

"No worries." he said.

"Thank you so much." someone else said.

"Not at all. Merry Christmas." he said.

"Thank you, Harriet." someone said.

"Thank you. Merry Christmas." he said.

"Merry Christmas." someone else said.

"Have a good Christmas Harriet!" Luna said.

"Have a great Christmas, Luna." she said back.

"We've been thinking. We could always slip Umbridge some Puking Pastilles." George said.

"Or Fever Fudge. They give you massive, pus-filled boils..." Fred said.

"Sounds great, guys. Would you excuse me?" Harriet said.

She started to walk over to Cho.

"Are you all right? I heard Umbridge gave you a rough time the other day."

"Yeah. I'm okay. Anyway, it's worth it. It's just, learning all this... makes me wonder whether, if he'd known it..." Cho said.

"Cedric, Cedric did know this stuff. He was really good. It's just, Voldemort was better." she said.

"You're a really good teacher, Harriet. I've never been able to stun anyone before." she said.

"Probably full of Nargles, though."

"What are Nargles?"

"No idea."

A few hours later Harriet was a sleep and saw a snake she was familiar with. It was Nagini. Then she heard something and saw Mr. Weasley.

_'Voldemort is after something. Something he didn't have the last time.' she heard Sirius say. _

_"Harriet." _

_Then she saw Nagini bite him. _

_"Ahh!" _

She tossed and turned while she listened to him.

Finally she woke up and took deep breaths. She saw Hermione look at her. A few minutes later Harriet, Ron and the other three Weasley's were at Dumbledore's office.

"In the dream were you standing next to the victim or looking down at the screen?" Dumbledore asked not looking at her.

"Neither, I only heard, Professor can you please just tell me what's going on?" Harriet asked.

"Everard, Arthur's on guard duty tonight. Make sure he's found by the right people."

"Sir." Harriet said.

"Phineas. You must go to your portrait at Grimmauld Place. Tell them that Arthur Weasley is gravely injured... and his children will be arriving there soon by Portkey."

"They've got him, Albus. It was close, but they think he'll make it."

"They've got him, Albus. It was close, but they think he'll make it. What's more, the Dark Lord failed to acquire it." Everard said.

"Oh, thank goodness. Next we need to..."

"Look at me!" Harriet yelled.

Everyone looked at her in shock.

"What's happening to me?"

"You wished to see me, headmaster?" Snape said.

"Oh, Severus. I'm afraid we can't wait. Not even till the morning. Otherwise, we'll all be vulnerable." Dumbledore said.

So he took Harriet down to his quarters. When they got there he had her sit down and started looking for something.

"It appears there's a connection... between the Dark Lord's mind and your own. Whether he is, as yet, aware of this connection is, for the moment, unclear. Pray he remains ignorant." he said.

"You mean, if he knows about it, then... he'll be able to read my mind?" she asked.

"Read it, control it... unhinge it. In the past, it was often the Dark Lord's pleasure... to invade the minds of his victims... creating visions designed to torture them into madness. Only after extracting the last exquisite ounce of agony... only when he had them literally begging for death, would he finally... kill them. Used properly, the power of Occlumency... will help shield you from access or influence. In these lessons, I will attempt to penetrate your mind. You will attempt to resist. Prepare yourself."

He took out his wand.

_"Legilimens."_

She shut her eyes tightly and tried to get him out.

"Concentrate, Potter. Focus."


	9. Chapter 9

Sure enough it was Christmas and everyone was at Grimauld Place. They were standing next to the table.

"Ho ho ho marry Christmas!" a flying Santa said while it was in the kitchen.

"Here we go, daddy's back!" Molly said smiling while she pushed Arthur to the table.

Everyone started clapping.

"Sit down everyone sit down. Now, presents." Molly said.

"And a nice big box for Ron." Arthur said.

"Big box for you. And um, oh come on both of you. I want to see your faces."

"Yes." Ron said while he opened and found a new sweater.

"Let's clear this away. Oh, Harriet, Harriet. There you are." Molly said.

Then handed her a present.

"Happy Christmas."

"Thank you." she said and found a scarf.

"Lovely to have you with us."

"Thank you."

"Now, Daddy. Pass that to Daddy." she said.

"Thank you."

"Has everybody got? Fred? George? Hermione."

"A Christmas toast. To Ms. Harriet Potter... without whom I would not be here. Harriet." Arthur said raising his glass.

"Harriet." they all said.

"Harriet." Sirius said.

She turned around and smiled.

"That is delicious. I shall be needing some more of that. Daddy, don't forget last Christmas." Ginny said.

A few minutes later Harriet, Ron and Hermione were headed downstairs.

"I can't understand why you don't want to wear it, Ronald." Hermione said.

"I look like a bloody idiot, that's why." Ron said.

"No more than usual, Ron. I don't know why..." she started.

Harriet saw a different room and walked in and saw pictures of people.

"Nasty brat, standing there as bold as brass. Harriet Potter, the girl who stopped the Dark Lord. Friend of Mudbloods and blood-traitors alike. If my poor mistress only knew..." Kreacher said.

"Kreacher! That's enough of your bile. Away with you!" Sirius said.

"Of course, master. Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black." he said and left.

"Sorry about that. He never was very pleasant, even when I was a boy. Not to me, anyway." he said walking in with her.

"What, you grew up here?" she said.

"This is my parents' house. I offered it to Dumbledore as headquarters for the Order. About the only useful thing I've been able to do. This is the Black family tree. My deranged cousin. I hated the lot of them. My parents with their pure-blood mania."

Then he put a finger on a picture with Sirius' name but a burnt picture.

"My mother did that after I ran away. Charming woman. I was 16."

Then he put his hand down.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

"Round your dad's. I was always welcome at the Potters'. I see him so much in you, Harriet. You are so very much alike.

"I'm not so sure. Sirius, when I was... When I saw Mr. Weasley attacked, I wasn't just watching. I was the snake. And afterwards, in Dumbledore's office... there was a moment when I wanted to..."

Then she shut her eyes for a second.

"This connection between me and Voldemort. What if the reason for it is that I am becoming more like him? I just feel so angry all the time. And what if, after everything that I've been through... something's gone wrong inside me? What if I'm becoming bad?"

Then Sirius put a hand on both shoulder.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harriet. You're not a bad person. You're a very good person who bad things have happened to. You understand? Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are."

"Harriet, time to go." Hermione said after knocking on the door.

"When all this is over, we'll be a proper family. You'll see." Sirius said.

Then he gave her a hug.


	10. Chapter 10

Sure enough they were back in school and Harriet was with Neville right now when Hermione called him out.

"Harriet!" Hermione said.

"What?" she asked.

"Hagrid's back." she said.

She looked at Neville then back at the other two.

"Come on."

Then they started running to his hut.

"I'm going to ask you one last time. I'm ordering you to tell me where you've been."

"I told you. I've been away for me health."

"Your health?"

"Yeah you know, a little fresh air."

"If I were you, I shouldn't get too used to being back. In fact, I mightn't bother unpacking at all."

Then she left and the other four went inside.

"This is top-secret, right? Dumbledore sent me to parley with the giants." Hagrid said.

"Giants?" Hermione asked.

"Shh." he said.

"You found them?" Hermione said.

"Well, they're not that hard to find, to be perfectly honest. They're so big, see? I tried to convince them to join the cause. But I wasn't the only one that was trying to win them over."

"Death Eaters?" Harriet asked.

"Yes. Trying to persuade them to join You-Know-Who."

"Did they?" Neville asked.

"I gave them Dumbledore's message. Suppose some of them remember he was friendly to them. I suppose."

"And they did this to you?" Harriet asked.

"Not exactly, no."

Then Fang started barking after seeing Hagrid put steak in his eye.

"Oh, go on, you have it, then, you dozy dog. It's changing out there. Just like last time. There's a storm coming, Harriet. We'd all best be ready when she does."

The next day during breakfast Neville was reading the paper and read about Bellatrix Lestrange getting out of Azkaban.

"Dumbledore warned Fudge this could happen. He's just going to get us all killed if he doesn't face the fact." Hermione said.

Then Seamus appeared and looked at the four of them.

"Harriet. I uh, I wanted to apologize. You know and me mum. What I'm really trying to say is that, I believe you." he said.

A few hours later they were done with Dumbledore's Army for the day when Harriet saw Neville.

"Neville?" Harriet asked.

"Fourteen years ago... a Death Eater called Bellatrix Lestrange used the cruciatus curse on my parents. She tortured them. But they never gave in." Neville said.

Then he looked at her.

"I'm quite proud to be their son."

"Well we can make them proud Neville." she said smiling.

Then she gave him a kiss and they took hands and headed to the common room.

A few days later they were working on the patronus charm.

"Make it a powerful memory, the happiest you can remember. Allow it to fill you up. Keep trying, Seamus." Harriet said.

_"Expecto Patronum!" _

"A full-bodied Patronus is the most difficult to produce... but shield forms can also be equally useful against a variety of opponents." she said.

"Wow, that was really good." someone said when they saw Ginny's.

"Fantastic, Ginny." Harriet said.

"Just remember, your Patronus can only protect you for as long as you stay focused. So focus, Luna."

_"Expecto Patronum!"_

Then she got to Neville.

"Think of the happiest thing you can." Harriet said.

_"Expecto Patronum__. _I'm trying." he said.

"Think about the day you asked me to the ball last year, our first date, first kiss, getting close to Ron and Hermione, all that."

Everyone stood there quietly and waited.

Neville nodded, took a deep breath and thought about what she said.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Then to everyone's surprise a stag came out. So Harriet made her own patronus and the doe walked over to the stag. The stag bowed down and the doe did the same thing then they were gone.

Harriet looked at Neville and he looked at her back. She gave him a kiss and smiled.

That's more like it. I wasn't expecting you to have the opposite patronus though." she said.

Then she turned around and looked at everyone else.

"This is really advanced stuff, guys. You're doing so well."

_"Expecto Patronum!" _

Then they heard something and stopped.

A bit of the door was open and Nigel walked over a bit.

"I'll make short work of this." Umbridge said.

"Bombarda Maxima."

Harriet grabbed him and moved them.

Malfoy pulled Cho out and Harriet frowned.

"Get them!" Umbridge said.

Harriet, Neville, Ron and Hermione were sent up to Dumbledore's office.

"Been watching them for weeks and see, Dumbledore's Army. Proof of what I've been telling you right from the very beginning, Cornelius. All your fear-mongering about You-know-who. ...never fooled us for a minute. We saw your lies for what they were: A smokescreen for your bid to seize control of the Ministry." Umbridge said.

"Naturally." Dumbledore said.

"No, professor. He had nothing to do with it. It was me." Harriet said.

"Most noble of you, Harriet, to shield me, but as has been pointed out... the parchment clearly says 'Dumbledore's. Army,' not 'Potter's'" he said.

"Auror Kingsley. I want you to take Dumbledore to Azkaban." Fudge said.

"Ah, I thought we might hit this little stab. You want me to do, what was the frees, come quietly? Well, I have no attendant of going." Dumbledore said.

"Enough of this! Take him!" Umbridge said.

Dumbledore winked and then Fawkes came while he put up his hands and then he was gone.

"Whoa. Uh, you may not like it minister, but you can't deny, Dumbledore's got style." Kingsley said.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

When Dumbledore was gone Umbridge took over. They were all in the great hall in desks doing their class work. While Umbridge sat in front of them all.

When they were all done they started to leave. Cho was standing there waiting for Harriet.

"Harriet?" she said.

Harriet just stood there for a few seconds then left.

Harriet, Neville, Ron and Hermione were outside right now walking.

"Even Dumbledore didn't expect this. Harriet if it's anyone's fault it ours." Hermione said.

"Yeah, we talked you into it." Ron said.

"Yeah but I agreed. I tried so hard to help. And yet it all goes down." she said.

Neville opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by something.

They all turned around and saw Hagrid.

"Hagrid?" Neville said.

He waved to have them follow him.

While they did that they were wondering what he was doing.

"Any idea of where he's taking us?" Ron asked.

"Hagrid, why can't you just tell us?" Harriet asked.

Then a lot of centaurs were running around.

"I've never seen centaurs so reckless!" Hagrid said.

"Hagrid what's going on?" Hermione asked.

"Sorry for being so secretive to you four. But with Dumbledore gone, I'm afraid I'm gonna be sacked any day now. And I couldn't leave without anyone knowing about him." he said.

Then he turned around.

"Grawpy. Down here you great baboon!"

So the person came and the four of them stepped backwards while he opened his hands and then closed them when he couldn't get what he wanted.

"I couldn't just leave him because, because he's my brother."

"Blimey!" Ron said.

"Well half-brother really. But he's completely harmless."

Grawp grabbed Hermione.

"Ahh!" she said.

"Hagrid do something!" Ron said.

Then he turned around and grabbed a big piece of a tree.

"Grawpy that is not polite! What did I tell ya, you do not grab do you? That's your new friend Hermione." Hagrid said. "Grawp!"

Ron hit his leg with the stick but it broke.

"Grawp! Put, me, down!" Hermione started pointing at him. "Now."

He put her down and she rubbed her arm while Grawp turned around to get something.

"You alright?" Neville asked.

"Fine. Just need a new hand is all." she said.

"You just stay away from her alright?" Ron said.

Then Grawp came back with a bicycle top and bell in his hand. Then handed it to Hermione.

She grabbed it and then set off the bell.

Then she gave it back to him and he sat down and played with the bell.

"You'll look after him won't you? He gets his own food and all. It's company he'll be needing while I'm gone. I'm the only family he's got."

They all nodded and then headed back to school.

After dinner Harriet was at Snape's during an occlumency lesson._ She was looking at the mirror of eroded and seeing her parents._

"Feeling sentimental?" Snape said.

Then he got out of her.

"That's private." she said.

"_Not_ to _me_. And not to the Dark Lord, if you _don't_ improve. Every memory he has access to is a weapon he can use against you. You won't last two seconds if he invades your mind. You're _just_ like your father. Lazy, arrogant."

"Don't say a word against my father!" she said.

"_Weak_."

"I'm not weak!"

"Then prove it! Control your emotions. _Discipline _your _mind_. _Legilimens__!_"

_"Harriet." Sirius said. _

_"Sirius." she said and gave him a hug. _

"I may vomit." Snape said and got out.

"Stop it!"

"Is this what you call control?"

"We've been at it for hours. If I could just rest."

"The Dark Lord _isn't_ resting. You and Black, you're two of a kind. Sentimental children forever whining about how bitterly unfair your lives have been. Well, it may have escaped your notice, but life isn't fair. Your blessed father knew that. In fact, he frequently saw to it."

"My father was a great man."

"Your father was a swine. _Legilimens__!_"

_"Protego__!"_ Harriet said and got in.

_"Come on, Moony, Padfoot. Snape. Expelliarmus." young James said. _

_"Nice one, James." young Sirius said. _

_"Dad." she said. _

_"Impedimenta." _

_And Snape was in the air upside down. _

_"Snivellus Greasy. Snivellus Greasy." people said. _

_"Right. Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's trousers?" James said. _

_"Snivellus Greasy. Snivellus Greasy." they said together again. _

"Enough!" Snape said.

Then she fell on her seat.

"Enough." Then he grabbed the top of her shirt. "Your lessons are at an end."

"I..." she started.

"Get out."

She got down and headed to the common room. On her way there she heard something.

"What's your name?" Fred asked.

"Michael." he said.

"Your hand's gonna be fine, Michael." Fred said.

"Yeah. It's not as bad as it seems. See? It's fading already. You can hardly see ours anymore, and the pain stops after a while." George said.

"As I told you once before, Ms. Potter... naughty children deserve to be punished." Umbridge said.

Then she left.

"You know, George.. I've always felt our futures lay outside the world of academic achievement." Fred said watching Harriet walk by.

"Fred, I've been thinking exactly the same thing." George said.


	12. Chapter 12

Before they knew it they were on their OWLs. While they worked on it Harriet stopped for a few minutes and then her scar started to burn hard.

A few seconds later they heard something. They all looked behind them and Umbridge walked over to open the door.

When it was open a spark came went around. Then it stopped and Umbridge turned around.

A few seconds later Fred and George came on brooms and started to play around with their tricks.

"All right, professor!" Fred said.

"Here you go." George said.

They threw something up and a dragon shape came chasing after her.

"Ready when you are." Fred said.

While they started to go outside the other students ran with them.

Then they threw something else up and a big W was out.

Harriet stood there while everyone else clapped and cheered. Then she heard something.

_"I need that prophecy." Voldemort said. _

_There stood number 96 like the last few dreams. _

_"You'll have to kill me." Sirius said. _

_"Oh, I will. But first, you will fetch it for me. Crucio." he said. _

_"Ah!" Sirius yelled. _

_"Crucio." he said again making Sirius scream again. _

Hermione and Neville bent down and looked at her. Then she looked at them.

"Sirius." she said.

Then the four of them started to go upstairs.

"Harriet, are you sure?" Hermione said.

"I saw it. It's just like the room with Mr. Weasley. It's the door I've been dreaming about. I couldn't remember where I'd seen it before. Sirius said Voldemort was after something. Something he didn't have the last time, in the Department of Mysteries."

"Harriet, please, just listen. What if Voldemort meant for you to see this? What if he's only hurting Sirius because he's trying to get to you?" Hermione said.

"What if he is? I'm supposed to just let him die? Hermione, he's the only family I've got left." she said.

Neville and Ron looked at each other.

"What do we do?" Ron asked.

The Harriet turned around and started walking again.

"We'll have to use the Floo Network." she said.

"Umbridge has the chimneys under surveillance." Neville said.

"Not all of them." she said.

When they got to Umbridge's office the door was locked.

_"Alohamora__."_ Harriet said.

Then they headed to the flew network.

"Alert the Order if you can." she said when the flew set off.

"Are you mental? We're going with you." Ron said.

"It's too dangerous."

"When are you going to get it into your head? We're in this together." Hermione said looking at her friend.

"That. You. Are." Umbridge

Then they all turned around and saw Umbridge. A few seconds later she was tied to a chair.

"Caught this one trying to help the Weasley girl." Malfoy said pushing Luna.

"You were going to Dumbledore weren't you? she asked.

"No." Harriet said.

Then she slapped her.

"You sent me headmistress?" Snape said.

"Snape! Yes, the time has come for answers. Wether they want to tell me or not. Have you got any veritaserum?"

"I'm afraid you you used up all my my storages on Ms. Chang." Snape said.

"Unless you wish to poison her, I cannot help you." he said and left.

"He's got Padfoot! He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!" Harriet said.

He turned around and looked at her.

'He must be using legilimancy.' she thought but hoped at the same time.

"Where what is? What is she talking about Snape?" Umbridge asked.

"No idea." he said and left.

"Very well then. Since you won't answer it appears that I'll have to force you with, the cruciatus spell. (Harriet twitched at that.) I've heard you can fight off the imperious curse."

"That's illegal." Hermione said.

"What Cornelius doesn't know, won't hurt him." she said putting the picture down.

She opened her mouth but Hermione said something before she said it.

"Tell her Harriet!" Hermione said.

"Tell me what?" she asked.

"Well If you won't, I will. Dumbledore's secret weapon." Hermione continued.

When they left they headed to the forbidden Forest.

"How much further?" Umbridge asked while they walked.

"Not far." Hermione said.

"What are you doing?" Harriet asked.

"Improvising." she whispered.

When they got to where they were supposed to Grawp was gone.

"Well, where is this weapon? There isn't one is there? You know, I really hate children." Umbridge said.

Then some centaurs came with their arrow out.

"You have no business here centaur. This is the ministry-"

She made a shield before she was hit by a bow.

"How dare you! Indeciscrus!"

Then rope went around its neck.

"Please! Please stop it!" Hermione said.

"Enough! I _will_ have _order_! Ahh!" she said after Grawp picked her up.

"No! It's not his fault! No! You don't understand!" Hermione said.

Harriet started to grab her hand while she talked.

Centaurs took her when she was down again.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm ministry worker Deloris Jane Umbridge! Let me go!" she yelled while they ran away.

"Thank you Grawp." Hermione said.

"Hermione, Hermione Sirius!" Harriet said.

When Harriet and Hermione got back to school they met up with Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna.

"How'd you get away?" Hermione asked.

"Puking Pastilles. It wasn't pretty." Ginny said.

"Told them I was hungry, wanted some sweets. They told me to bugger off and ate the lot themselves." Ron said while he handed them their wand.

"That was clever, Ron." Hermione said.

"Has been known to happen." he said.

"It was brilliant. So how are we getting to London?" Neville said.

"Look, it's not that I don't appreciate everything you've done, all of you... but I've got you into enough trouble as it is." Harriet said and turned around.

"Dumbledore's Army's supposed to be about doing something real. Or was that all just words to you?" Neville asked.

"Maybe you don't have to do this all by yourself, mate." Ron said.

She stood there and looked at her friends and boyfriend.

"So how are we going to get to London?"

They all smiled.

"We fly, of course." Luna said.

So they all got onto Thestrals and flew to the Ministry.


	13. Chapter 13

When they got there they were on the elevator.

"Department of Mysteries." it said.

This is it." Harriet said.

So they started to follow the numbers of prophecies.

"Ninety four, ninety five, ninety six." Then she looked around. "He should be here." she said.

"Harriet? You might wanna come see this." Neville said.

So she headed to Neville and saw a prophecy.

Harriet saw her name on it and then picked it up and looked at it. Then they heard something.

"Harriet." Hermione said.

She looked up and walked in front of Hermione.

"Where's Sirius?" she asked.

"You know, you really should learn to be more careful." Lucius Malfoy said while he took off his mask. "You are only here for what the Dark Lord wants. Now, hand me the prophecy."

"If you do anything to us, I'll break it." Harriet said.

"Hahahaha! She knows how to play. Itty, bitty baby. Potter." someone said.

Neville recognized it.

"Bellatrix Lastrange."

"Neville Longbottom is it? How's Mum and dad?"

"Better, now they're about to be avenged." he said taking out his wand.

Bellatrix gasped and took out her wand while Harriet stopped him.

"Now, let's everybody just calm down... shall we? All we want is that prophecy." Lucius said with his hands out.

"Why did Voldemort need me to come and get this?" Harriet asked.

"You dare speak his name? You filthy half-blood!" Bellatrix yelled.

"It's all right. They're just curious children, aren't they? Prophecies can only be retrieved by those about whom they are made. Which is lucky for you, really. Haven't you always wondered... what was the reason for the connection between you and the Dark Lord? Why he was unable to kill you... when you were just an infant? Don't you want to know the secret of your scar? All the answers are there, Potter, in your hand. All you have to do... is give it to me. Then I can show you everything."

"I've waited 14 years." she said.

"I know." he said looking sad.

"I guess I guess can wait a little longer. Now_! Stupefy!_" she said.

_"Stupefy!_" they all said together.

Then they all started running.

Luna was hit by a Death Eater and fell on the ground.

"_Levicorpus__!_" she said causing the Death Eater to go up.

"_Petrificus Totalus__!_" Neville said hitting a Death Eater

"Well done, Neville." Luna said and pulled him away.

"_Stupefy!_" Hermione said.

"_Stupefy!_" Ron said.

"_Stupefy!_" Harriet said.

"_Stupefy_!" Neville said.

"_Stupefy! __Reducto__!_ Get back to the door!" Harriet called.

So they all started running and then looked around when they got there.

"Department of Mysteries. They got that bit right, didn't they?" Ron said.

Harriet started to hear something and took out her wand.

"Get behind me." Harriet called.

While they ran the death eaters suddenly appeared and took Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville and Ginny around the necks with their wands in front of them. Harriet looked around.

"Did you _actually_ believe... or were you truly naïve enough to think... that children stood a chance against us?" Lucius said.

Harriet looked at her friends and boyfriend.

"I'll make this simple for you, Potter. Give me the prophecy now... or watch your friends die."

"Don't give it to him, Harriet!" Neville said.

Then Bellatrix pushed her wand on him harder.

Harriet looked at Lucius and gave it to him.

While he raised it she saw someone coming.

"Get away from my goddaughter." Sirius said and punched him.

_'That felt good.'_ he thought.

Sure enough the Order appeared and started dueling.

"Now, listen to me. Take the others and get out of here." Sirius said.

"What, no I'm staying with you!" Harriet said.

"You've done beautifully, now let us take it from here." Sirius said

Then they were almost hit with something by someone. Sirius aimed it back.

Harriet stood up and joined the Order.

While Harriet dueled Lucius Sirius dueled Bellatrix.

The other kids were hiding and watched Harriet dueling with Sirius.

_"Expelliarmus__!"_ Harriet said.

"Nice one, James!" Sirius said.

_"Avada Kedavra__!"_ Bellatrix said.

Then it hit Sirius.

When it hit him Harriet looked at him.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.

Harriet saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on her godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place.

Harriet heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream,

But Sirius did not reappear.

"SIRIUS!" Harriet yelled. "SIRIUS!"

He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps.

But as he reached the ground and sprinted towards the dais, Remus grabbed Harriet around the chest, holding her back.

Neville wished it could be him comforting her like last year.

"There's nothing you can do, Harriet -"

"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"

"- it's too late, Harriet."

"We can still reach him -" Harriet struggled hard and viciously, but Remus would not let go…

"There's nothing you can do, Harriet… nothing… he's gone."

"He hasn't gone!" Harriet yelled.

She did not believe it; she would not believe it; still she fought Remus with every bit of strength she had. Remus did not understand; people hid behind that curtain; Harriet had heard them whispering the first time she had entered the room. Sirius was hiding, simply lurking out of sight.

"SIRIUS!" she bellowed. "SIRIUS!"

"He can't come back, Harriet," said Remus, his voice breaking as he struggled to contain Harriet. "He can't come back, because he's d-"

"HE - IS - NOT - DEAD!" roared Harriet. "SIRIUS!"

There was movement going on around them, pointless bustling, the flashes of more spells.

Remus dragged Harriet away from the dais. Harriet, still staring at the archway, was angry at Sirius now for keeping her waiting.

But some part of her realized, even as she fought to break free from Remus, that Sirius had never kept him waiting before… Sirius had risked everything, always, to see Harriet, to help her… if Sirius was not reappearing out of that archway when Harriet was yelling for him as though his life depended on it, the only possible explanation was that he could not come back… that he really was.

Harriet turned her head and saw Bellatrix running.

She jumped off of Remus and started to run.

Remus stood there and watched her run. So did Neville.

"I killed Sirius Black! She's going to get me! You're going to get me!" Bellatrix said while she ran.

_"CRUCIO!"_ she yelled and got her on the ground.

She held her hand out while she whimpered a little.

"You've got to mean it Harriet. She killed him. She disservice's it."

Harriet's neck started to move.

"You know the spell, Harriet."

Then she stopped and aimed her wand at Voldemort but he knocked out her wand.

"So weak." Voldemort said.

Then out of nowhere Dumbledore appeared.

"Foolish of you to come here tonight Tom. The aurors are on their way."

"By which time I shall be gone, and you, shall be _dead_."

A few seconds later they were dueling each other. Then Voldemort disappeared.

"Stay where you are Harriet!" Dumbledore said.

Suddenly Harriet felt something and went to the ground.

Dumbledore knelt down next to her. Then she heard something coming from her.

"You've lost old man." said Voldemort through Harriet.

"AHH!" Harriet yelled.

She started to see memories and pictures of things Voldemort had done.

_The Halloween night. Getting hit by him. Cedric being killed, the night he returned and Voldemort appearing. And seeing how much they're alike and a picture of him having her face. _

_"Look at me." Voldemort said. _

"Harriet, it _isn't_ how you are alike, it's how you are _not_." Dumbledore said.

Harriet laid there fighting the pictures and saw her friends.

She opened her eyes and saw Remus, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna.

She looked mostly at Neville, Ron and Hermione.

"You're the weak one, and you'll never know love, or friendship. And I feel sorry for you."

Dumbledore heard and smiled a little. She then shut her eyes tightly and focused on the memories she had of her friends.

_The day she met Ron and Hermione, all the fun they had with them. The day she started going out with Neville and the first time they kissed. Sirius giving her a hug. Finally Voldemort came out and stood in front of her. _

"You're a fool Harriet Potter, and you will lose, _everything_."

Then the ministry appeared and saw as Voldemort disappeared.

"He's back!" Fudge said.

She felt someone hold her and everyone started to walk over to her.

Then she opened her eyes and started to stand up.

"Here's a portkey Harriet to get you back to school." Dumbledore said.

She nodded, looked at the others and grabbed onto it.


	14. Chapter 14

Harriet's feet hit solid ground; her knees buckled a little and the golden witch's head fell with are sounding dunk to the floor. She looked around and saw that she had arrived in Dumbledore's office.

Everything seemed to have repaired itself during the Headmaster's absence. The delicate silver instruments stood once more on the spindle-legged tables, puffing and whirring serenely the portraits of the headmasters and headmistresses were snoozing in their frames, heads lolling back in armchairs or against the edge of the picture. Harriet looked through the window.

There was a cool line of pale green along the horizon: dawn was approaching.

The silence and the stillness, broken only by the occasional grunt or snuffle of a sleeping portrait, was unbearable to her. She walked around the quiet, beautiful office, breathing quickly, trying not to think. But she had to think… there was no escape…

It was her fault Sirius had died; it was all her fault.

If she, Harriet, had not been stupid enough to fall for Voldemort's trick, if she had not been so convinced that what she had seen in her dream was real, if she had only opened his mind to the possibility that Voldemort was, as Hermione had said, banking on Harriet's love of playing the hero…

It was unbearable, she would not think about it, she could not stand it… there was a terrible hollow inside her she did not want to feel or examine, a dark hole where Sirius had been, where Sirius had vanished; she did not want to have to be alone with that great, silent space, she could not stand it -

A picture behind her gave a particularly loud grunting snore, and a cool voice said,

"Ah… Harriet Potter…"

Phineas Nigellus gave a long yawn, stretching his arms as he surveyed Harriet out of shrewd, narrow eyes.

"And what brings you here in the early hours of the morning?" said Phineas eventually "This office is supposed to be barred to all but the rightful Headmaster. Or has Dumbledore sent you here? Oh, don't tell me…" He gave another shuddering yawn. "Another message for my worthless great-great-grandson?"

Harriet could not speak. Phineas Nigellus did not know that Sirius was dead, but Harriet could not tell him. To say it aloud would be to make it final, absolute, irretrievable.

A few more of the portraits had stirred now. Terror of being interrogated made Harriet stride across the room and seize the doorknob.

It would not turn. She was shut in.

"I hope this means," said the corpulent, red-nosed wizard who hung on the wall behind the Headmaster's desk, "that Dumbledore will soon be back among us?"

Harriet turned. The wizard was surveying her with great interest. Harriet nodded. She tugged again on the doorknob behind her back, but it remained immovable.

"Oh good," said the wizard. "It has been very dull without him, very dull indeed."

He settled himself on the throne-like chair on which he had been painted and smiled benignly upon Harriet.

"Dumbledore thinks very highly of you, as I am sure you know," he said comfortably. "Oh yes. Holds you in great esteem."

Harriet could not stand this, she could not stand being herself any more… she had never felt more trapped inside her own head and body, never wished so intensely that she could be somebody; anybody, else…

The empty fireplace burst into emerald green flame, making Harriet leap away from the door, staring at the man spinning inside the grate. As Dumbledore's tall form unfolded itself from the fire, the wizards and witches on the surrounding walls jerked awake, many of them giving cries of welcome.

"Thank you," said Dumbledore softly.

He did not look at Harriet at first, but walked over to the perch beside the door and withdrew, from an inside pocket of his robes, the tiny, ugly, featherless Fawkes, whom he placed gently on the tray of soft ashes beneath the golden post where the full-grown Fawkes usually stood.

"Well, Harriet," said Dumbledore, finally turning away from the baby bird, "you will be pleased to hear that none of your fellow students are going to suffer lasting damage from the night's events."

"Madam Pomfrey is patching everybody up," said Dumbledore. "Nymphadora Tonks may need to spend a little time in St. Mungo's, but it seems she will make a full recovery."

Harriet contented himself with nodding at the carpet, which was growing lighter as the sky outside grew paler. She was sure all the portraits around the room were listening closely to every word Dumbledore spoke, wondering where Dumbledore and Harriet had been, and why there had been injuries.

"I know how you're feeling, Harriet," said Dumbledore very quietly.

"No, you don't," said Harriet, and her voice was suddenly loud and strong.

"You see, Dumbledore?" said Phineas Nigellus slyly "Never try to understand the students. They hate it. They would much rather be tragically misunderstood, wallow in self-pity, stew in their own -"

"That's enough, Phineas," said Dumbledore.

Harriet turned her back on Dumbledore and stared determinedly out of the window. She could see the Quidditch stadium in the distance. Sirius had appeared there once, disguised as the shaggy black dog, so he could watch Harriet play… he had probably come to see whether Harriet was as good as James had been… Harriet had never asked him…

"There is no shame in what you are feeling, Harriet," said Dumbledore's voice. "On the contrary… the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength."

"My greatest strength, is it?" said Harriet, her voice shaking as she stared out at the Quidditch stadium, no longer seeing it. "You haven't got a clue… you don't know…"

"What don't I know?" asked Dumbledore calmly.

Harriet turned around, shaking with rage.

"I don't want to talk about how I feel, all right?"

"Harriet, suffering like this proves you are still a strong woman! This pain is part of being human."

"THEN - I - DON'T - WANT - TO - BE - HUMAN!" Harriet roared, and she seized the delicate silver instrument from the spindle legged table beside him and flung it across the room; it shattered into a hundred tiny pieces against the wall.

Several of the pictures let out yells of anger and fright, and the portrait of Armando Dippet said, "Really!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Harriet yelled at them, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANY MORE!"

She seized the table on which the silver instrument had stood and threw that, too. It broke apart on the floor and the legs rolled in different directions.

"You do care," said Dumbledore.

He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harriet demolishing his office. His expression was calm, almost detached.

"You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it."

"I - DON'T!" Harriet screamed.

"Oh, yes, you do," said Dumbledore, still more calmly. "You have now lost your mother, your father, and the closest thing to a parent you have ever known. Of course you care."

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL!" Harriet roared. "YOU - STANDING THERE – YOU"

She turned on her heel and ran to the door, seized the doorknob again and wrenched at it.

But the door would not open. Harriet turned back to Dumbledore.

"Let me out," she said.

She was shaking from head to foot.

"No," said Dumbledore, simply.

For a few seconds they stared at each other.

"Let me out," Harriet said again.

"No," Dumbledore repeated.

"If you don't - if you keep me in here - if you don't let me"

"By all means continue destroying my possessions," said Dumbledore serenely. "I daresay I have too many."

He walked around his desk and sat down. behind it, watching Harriet.

"Let me out," Harriet said yet again, in a voice that was cold and almost as calm as Dumbledore's.

"Not until I have had my say," said Dumbledore.

"Do you - do you think I want to - do you think I give a - I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO SAY!" Harriet roared. "I don't want to hear anything you've got to say!"

"You will," said Dumbledore steadily. "Because you are not nearly as angry with me as you ought to be. If you are to attack me, as I know you are close to doing, I would like to have thoroughly earned it."

"What are you talking -?"

"It is my fault that Sirius died," said Dumbledore clearly.

"Or should I say, almost entirely my fault - I will not be so arrogant as to claim responsibility for the whole. Sirius was a brave, clever and energetic man, and such men are not usually content to sit at home in hiding while they believe others to be in danger. Nevertheless, you should never have believed for an instant that there was any necessity for you to go to the Department of Mysteries tonight. If I had been open with you, Harriet, as I should have been, you would have known a long time ago that Voldemort might try and lure you to the Department of Mysteries, and you would never have been tricked into going there tonight. And Sirius would not have had to come after you. That blame lies with me, and with me alone."

Harriet was still standing with her hand on the doorknob but was unaware of it. She was gazing at Dumbledore, hardly breathing, listening yet barely understanding what she was hearing.

"Please sit down," said Dumbledore.

It was not an order, it was a request.

Harriet hesitated, then walked slowly across the room now littered with silver cogs and fragments of wood, and took the seat facing Dumbledore's desk.

"Am I to understand," said Phineas Nigellus slowly from Harriet's left, "that my great-great-grandson - the last of the Blacks - is dead?"

"Yes, Phineas," said Dumbledore.

"I don't believe it," said Phineas brusquely.

Harriet turned her head in time to see Phineas marching out of his portrait and knew that he had gone to visit his other painting in Grimmauld Place.

"Harriet, I owe you an explanation," said Dumbledore. "An explanation of an old man's mistakes. For I see now that what I have done, and not done, with regard to you, bears all the hallmarks of the failings of age. Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young… and I seem to have forgotten, lately…"

The sun was rising properly now; there was a rim of dazzling orange visible over the mountains and the sky above it was colorless and bright. The light fell upon Dumbledore, upon the silver of his eyebrows and beard, upon the lines gouged deeply into his face.

"I guessed, fifteen years ago," said Dumbledore, "when I saw the scar on your forehead, what it might mean. I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between you and Voldemort."

"You've told me this before, Professor," said Harriet bluntly.

"Yes," said Dumbledore apologetically. "Yes, but you see it is necessary to start with your scar. For it became apparent, shortly after you rejoined the magical world, that I was correct, and that your scar was giving you warnings when Voldemort was close to you, or else feeling powerful emotion."

"I know," said Harriet wearily.

"And this ability of yours - to detect Voldemort's presence, even when he is disguised, and to know what he is feeling when his emotions are roused - has become more and more pronounced since Voldemort returned to his own body and his full powers."

Harriet did not bother to nod. She knew all of this already.

"More recently" said Dumbledore, "I became concerned that Voldemort might realize that this connection between you exists. Sure enough, there came a time when you entered so far into his mind and thoughts that he sensed your presence. I am speaking, of course, of the night when you witnessed the attack on Mr. Weasley."

"Yeah, Snape told me," Harriet muttered.

"Professor Snape, Harriet." Dumbledore corrected him quietly.

"But did you not wonder why it was not I who explained this to you? Why I did not teach you Occlumency? Why I had not so much as looked at you for months?"

Harriet looked up. She could see now that Dumbledore looked sad and tired.

"Yeah," Harriet mumbled. "Yeah, I wondered."

"You see," Dumbledore continued, "I believed it could not be long before Voldemort attempted to force his way into your mind, to manipulate and misdirect your thoughts, and I was not eager to give him more incentives to do so. I was sure that if he realized that our relationship was - or had ever been - closer than that of headmaster and pupil, he would seize his chance to use you as a means to spy on me. I feared the uses to which he would put you, the possibility that he might try and possess you. Harriet, I believe I was right to think that Voldemort would have made use of you in such a way. On those rare occasions when we had close contact, I thought I saw a shadow of him stir behind your eyes…"

"Voldemort's aim in possessing you, as he demonstrated tonight, would not have been my destruction. It would have been yours. He hoped, when he possessed you briefly a short while ago, that I would sacrifice you in the hope of killing him.

"So you see, I have been trying, in distancing myself from you, to protect you, Harriet. An old man's mistake…"

He sighed deeply. Harriet was letting the words wash over her. She would have been so interested to know all this a few months ago, but now it was meaningless compared to the gaping chasm inside her that was the loss of Sirius; none of it mattered…

"Sirius told me you felt Voldemort awake inside you the very night that you had the vision of Arthur Weasley's attack. I knew at once that my worst fears were correct: Voldemort had realized he could use you. In an attempt to arm you against Voldemort's assaults on your mind, I arranged Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape."

He paused. Harriet watched the sunlight, which was sliding slowly across the polished surface of Dumbledore's desk, illuminate a silver ink pot and a handsome scarlet quill. Harriet could tell that the portraits all around them were awake and listening raptly to Dumbledore's explanation; she could hear the occasional rustle of robes, the slight clearing of a throat. Phineas Nigellus had still not returned…

"Professor Snape discovered," Dumbledore resumed, " that you had been dreaming about the door to the Department of Mysteries for months. Voldemort, of course, had been obsessed with the possibility of hearing the prophecy ever since he regained his body; and as he dwelled on the door, so did you, though you did not know what it meant.

"And then you saw Rockwood, who worked in the Department of Mysteries before his arrest, telling Voldemort what we had known all along - that the prophecies held in the Ministry of Magic are heavily protected. Only the people to whom they refer can lift them from the shelves without suffering madness: in this case, either Voldemort himself would have to enter the Ministry ofMagic, and risk revealing himself at last - or else you would have to take it for him. It became a matter of even greater urgency that you should master Occlumency"

"But I didn't," muttered Harriet. "I didn't practice, I didn't bother, I could've stopped myself having those dreams, Hermione kept telling me to do it, if I had he'd never have been able to show me where to go, and - Sirius wouldn't - Sirius wouldn't"

"I tried to check he'd really taken Sirius, I went to Umbridge's office, I spoke to Kreacher in the fire and he said Sirius wasn't there, he said he'd gone!"

"Kreacher lied," said Dumbledore calmly.

"You are not his master, he could lie to you without even needing to punish himself. Kreacher intended you to go to the Ministry of Magic."

"He - he sent me on purpose?"

"Oh yes. Kreacher, I am afraid, has been serving more than one master for months."

"How?" said Harriet blankly. "He hasn't been out of Grimmauld Place for years."

"Kreacher seized his opportunity shortly before Christmas," said Dumbledore, "when Sirius, apparently, shouted at him to 'get out'. He took Sirius at his word, and interpreted this as an order to leave the house. He went to the only Black family member for whom he had any respect left… Black's cousin Narcissa, sister of Bellatrix and wife of Lucius Malfoy"

"How do you know all this?" Harriet said.

"Kreacher told me last night," said Dumbledore. "You see, when you gave Professor Snape that cryptic warning, he realized that you had had a vision of Sirius trapped in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries.

"He, like you, attempted to contact Sirius at once. I should explain that members of the Order of the Phoenix have more reliable methods of communicating than the fire in Dolores Umbridge's office.

"Professor Snape found that Sirius was alive and safe in Grimmauld Place.

"When, however, you did not return from your trip into the Forest with Dolores Umbridge, Professor Snape grew worried that you still believed Sirius to be a captive of Lord Voldemort's. He alerted certain Order members at once."

Dumbledore heaved a great sigh and continued, "Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Remus Lupin were at Headquarters when he made contact. All agreed to go to your aid at once. Professor Snape requested that Sirius remain behind, as he needed somebody to remain at Headquarters to tell me what had happened, for I was due there at any moment. In the meantime he, Professor Snape, intended to search the Forest for you.

"But Sirius did not wish to remain behind while the others went to search for you. He delegated to Kreacher the task of telling me what had happened. And so it was that when I arrived in Grimmauld Place shortly after they had all left for the Ministry, it was the elf who told me - laughing fit to burst - where Sirius had gone."

"He was laughing?" said Harriet in a hollow voice.

"Oh, yes," said Dumbledore. "You see, Kreacher was not able to betray us totally. He is not Secret Keeper for the Order, he could not give the Malfoys our whereabouts, or tell them any of the Order's confidential plans that he had been forbidden to reveal. He was bound by the enchantments of his kind, which is to say that he could not disobey a direct order from his master, Sirius. But he gave Narcissa information of the sort that is very valuable to Voldemort, yet must have seemed much too trivial for Sirius to think of banning him from repeating it."

"Like what?" said Harriet.

"Like the fact that the person Sirius cared most about in the world was you," said Dumbledore quietly.

"Like the fact that you were coming to regard Sirius as a mixture of father and brother. Voldemort knew already, of course, that Sirius was in the Order, and that you knew where he was - but Kreacher's information made him realize that the one person for whom you would go to any lengths to rescue was Sirius Black."

Harriet's lips were cold and numb.

"So… when I asked Kreacher if Sirius was there last night…"

"The Malfoys - undoubtedly on Voldemort's instructions - had told him he must find a way of keeping Sirius out of the way once you had seen the vision of Sirius being tortured. Then, if you decided to check whether Sirius was at home or not, Kreacher would be able to pretend he was not. Kreacher injured Buckbeak the Hippogriff yesterday, and, at the moment when you made your appearance in the fire, Sirius was upstairs tending to him."

"And Kreacher told you all this… and laughed?" she croaked.

"He did not wish to tell me," said Dumbledore. "But I am a sufficiently accomplished Legilimens myself to know when I am being lied to and I - persuaded him - to tell me the full story, before I left for the Department of Mysteries."

"And," whispered Harriet, her hands curled in cold fists on her knees, "and Hermione kept telling us to be nice to him"

"She was quite right, Harriet," said Dumbledore. "I warned Sirius when we adopted twelve Grimmauld Place as our Headquarters that Kreacher must be treated with kindness and respect. I also told him that Kreacher could be dangerous to us. I do not think Sinus took me very seriously, or that he ever saw Kreacher as a being with feelings as acute as a human's."

"Don't you blame - don't you - talk - about Sirius like -" Harriet's breath was constricted "Kreacher's a lying - foul - he deserved –"

"Kreacher is what he has been made by wizards, Harriet." said Dumbledore. "Yes, he is to be pitied. His existence has been as miserable as your friend Dobby's. He was forced to do Sirius's bidding, because Sirius was the last of the family to which he was enslaved, but he felt no true loyalty to him. And whatever Kreacher's faults, it must be admitted that Sirius did nothing to make Kreacher's lot easier."

"DON'T TALK ABOUT SIRIUS LIKE THAT!" Harriet yelled.

"What about Snape?" Harriet spat. "You're not talking about him, are you? When I told him Voldemort had Sirius he just sneered at me as usual –"

"Harriet, you know Professor Snape had no choice but to pretend not to take you seriously in front of Dolores Umbridge," said Dumbledore steadily, "but as I have explained, he informed the Order as soon as possible about what you had said. It was he who deduced where you had gone when you did not return from the Forest. It was he, too, who gave Professor Umbridge fake Veritaserum when she was attempting to force you to tell her Sirius's whereabouts."

"Snape - Snape g - goaded Sirius about staying in the house - he made out Sirius was a coward"

"Sirius was much too old and clever to have allowed such feeble taunts to hurt him," said Dumbledore.

"Snape stopped giving me Occlumency lessons!" Harriet snarled. "He threw me out of his office!"

"I am aware of it," said Dumbledore heavily "I have already said that it was a mistake for me not to teach you myself, though I was sure, at the time, that nothing could have been more dangerous than to open your mind even further to Voldemort while in my presence –"

"Snape made it worse, my scar always hurt worse after lessons with him" Harriet remembered Ron's thoughts on the subject and plunged on "- how do you know he wasn't trying to soften me up for Voldemort, make it easier for him to get inside my –"

"I trust Severus Snape," said Dumbledore simply "But I forgot - another old man's mistake - that some wounds run too deep for the healing. I thought Professor Snape could overcome his feelings about your father - I was wrong."

"But that's okay, is it?" yelled Harriet, ignoring the scandalized faces and disapproving mutterings of the portraits on the walls. "It's okay for Snape to hate my dad, but it's not okay for Sirius to hate Kreacher?"

"Sirius did not hate Kreacher," said Dumbledore.

"He regarded him as a servant unworthy of much interest or notice. Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike… the fountain we destroyed tonight told a lie. We wizards have mistreated and abused our fellows for too long, and we are now reaping our reward."

"SO SIRIUS DESERVED WHAT HE GOT, DID HE?" Harriet yelled.

"I did not say that, nor will you ever hear me say it," Dumbledore replied quietly. "Sirius was not a cruel man, he was kind to house-elves in general. He had no love for Kreacher, because Kreacher was a living reminder of the home Sirius had hated."

"Yeah, he did hate it!" said Harriet, her voice cracking, turning his back on Dumbledore and walking away.

The sun was bright inside the room now and the eyes of all the portraits followed her as she walked, without realizing what she was doing, without seeing the office at all.

"You made him stay shut up in that house and he hated it, that's why he wanted to get out last night."

"I was trying to keep Sirius alive," said Dumbledore quietly.

"People don't like being locked up!" Harriet said furiously, rounding on him. "You did it to me all last summer"

Dumbledore closed his eyes and buried his face in his long fingered hands. Harriet watched him, but this uncharacteristic sign of exhaustion, or sadness, or whatever it was from Dumbledore, did not soften him. On the contrary, he felt even angrier that Dumbledore was showing signs of weakness. He had no business being weak when Harriet wanted to rage and storm at him.

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harriet through his half-moon glasses.

"It is time," he said, "for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harriet. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything. I ask only a little patience. You will have your chance to rage at me - to do whatever you like - when I have finished. I will not stop you."

Harriet glared at him for a moment, then flung himself back into the chair opposite Dumbledore and waited.

Dumbledore stared for a moment at the sunlit grounds outside the window, then looked back at Harriet and said, "Five years ago you arrived at Hogwarts, Harriet, safe and whole, as I had planned and intended. Well - not quite whole. You had suffered. I knew you would when I left you on your aunt and uncle's doorstep. I knew I was condemning you to ten dark and difficult years."

He paused. Harriet said nothing.

"You might ask - and with good reason - why it had to be so. Why could some wizarding family not have taken you in? Many would have done so more than gladly, would have been honored and delighted to raise you as a son.

"My answer is that my priority was to keep you alive. You were in more danger than perhaps anyone but I realized. Voldemort had been vanquished hours before, but his supporters - and many of them are almost as terrible as he - were still at large, angry, desperate and violent.

"And I had to make my decision, too, with regard to the years ahead. Did I believe that Voldemort was gone for ever? No. I knew not whether it would be ten, twenty or fifty years before he returned, but I was sure he would do so, and I was sure, too, knowing him as I have done, that he would not rest until he killed you.

"I knew that Voldemort's knowledge of magic is perhaps more extensive than any wizard alive. I knew that even my most complex and powerful protective spells and charms were unlikely to be invincible if he ever returned to full power.

"But I knew, too, where Voldemort was weak. And so I made my decision. You would be protected by an ancient magic of which he knows, which he despises, and which he has always, therefore, underestimated - to his cost. I am speaking, of course, of the fact that your mother died to save you. She gave you a lingering protection he never expected, a protection that flows in your veins to this day. I put my trust, therefore, in your mother's blood. I delivered you to her sister, her only remaining relative."

"She doesn't love me," said Harriet at once. "She doesn't give a damn -"

"But she took you," Dumbledore cut across him. "She may have taken you grudgingly, furiously, unwillingly, bitterly, yet still she took you, and in doing so, she sealed the charm I placed upon you.

"Your mother's sacrifice made the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give you."

"I still don't."

"While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in you and her sister. Her blood became your refuge. You need return there only once a year, but as long as you can still call it home, while you are there he cannot hurt you. Your aunt knows this. I explained what I had done in the letter I left, with you, on her doorstep. She knows that allowing you houseroom may well have kept you alive for the past fifteen years."

"Five years ago, then," continued Dumbledore, as though he had not paused in his story, "you arrived at Hogwarts, neither as happy nor as well-nourished as I would have liked, perhaps, yet alive and healthy. You were not a pampered little prince, but as normal a boy as I could have hoped under the circumstances. Thus far, my plan was working well.

"And then… well, you will remember the events of your first year at Hogwarts quite as clearly as I do. You rose magnificently to the challenge that faced you and sooner - much sooner - than I had anticipated, you found yourself face to face with Voldemort. You survived again. You did more. You delayed his return to full power and strength. You fought a man's fight. I was… prouder of you than I can say.

"Yet there was a flaw in this wonderful plan of mine," said Dumbledore. "An obvious flaw that I knew, even then, might be the undoing of it all. And yet, knowing how important it was that my plan should succeed, I told myself that I would not permit this flaw to ruin it. I alone could prevent this, so I alone must be strong. And here was my first test, as you lay in the hospital wing, weak from your struggle with Voldemort."

"I don't understand what you're saying," said Harriet.

"Don't you remember asking me, as you lay in the hospital wing, why Voldemort had tried to kill you when you were a baby?"

Harriet nodded.

"Ought I to have told you then?"

Harriet stared into the blue eyes and said nothing, but her heart was racing again.

"You do not see the flaw in the plan yet? No… perhaps not. Well, as you know, I decided not to answer you. Eleven, I told myself, was much too young to know. I had never intended to tell you when you were eleven. The knowledge would be too much at such a young age.

"I should have recognized the danger signs then. I should have asked myself why I did not feel more disturbed that you had already asked me the question to which I knew, one day, I must give a terrible answer. I should have recognized that I was too happy to think that I did not have to do it on that particular day… You were too young, much too young.

"And so we entered your second year at Hogwarts. And once again you met challenges even grown wizards have never faced: once again you acquitted yourself beyond my wildest dreams. You did not ask me again, however, why Voldemort had your left that mark on you. We discussed scar, oh yes… we came very, very close to the subject. Why did I not tell you everything?

"Well, it seemed to me that twelve was, after all, hardly better than eleven to receive such information. I allowed you to leave my presence, bloodstained, exhausted but exhilarated, and if I felt a twinge of unease that I ought, perhaps, to have told you then, it was swiftly silenced. You were still so young, you see, and I could not find it in myself to spoil that night of triumph…

"Do you see, Harriet? Do you see the flaw in my brilliant plan now? I had fallen into the trap I had foreseen, that I had told myself I could avoid, that I must avoid."

"I don't –"

"I cared about you too much," said Dumbledore simply.

"I cared more for your happiness than your knowing the truth, more for your peace of mind than my plan, more for your life than the lives that might be lost if the plan failed. In other words, I acted exactly as Voldemort expects we fools who love to act.

"Is there a Defense? I defy anyone who has watched you as I have - and I have watched you more closely than you can have imagined - not to want to save you more pain than you had already suffered. What did I care if numbers of nameless and faceless people and creatures were slaughtered in the vague future, if in the here and now you were alive, and well, and happy? I never dreamed that I would have such a person on my hands.

"We entered your third year. I watched from afar as you struggled to repel Dementors, as you found Sirius, learned what he was and rescued him. Was I to tell you then, at the moment when you had triumphantly snatched your godfather from the jaws of the Ministry? But now, at the age of thirteen, my excuses were running out. Young you might be, but you had proved you were exceptional. My conscience was uneasy, Harriet. I knew the time must come soon…

"But you came out of the maze last year, having watched Cedric Diggory die, having escaped death so narrowly yourself… and I did not tell you, though I knew, now Voldemort had returned, I must do it soon. And now, tonight, I know you have long been ready for the knowledge I have kept from you for so long, because you have proved that I should have placed the burden upon you before this. My only Defence is this: I have watched you struggling under more burdens than any student who as ever passed through this school and I could not bring myself to add another - the greatest one of all."

Harriet waited, but Dumbledore did not speak.

"I still don't understand."

"Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a child because of a prophecy made shortly before your birth. He knew the prophecy had been made, though he did not know its full contents. He set out to kill you when you were still a baby, believing he was fulfilling the terms of the prophecy. He discovered, to his cost, that he was mistaken, when the curse intended to kill you backfired. And so, since his return to his body, and particularly since your extraordinary escape from him last year, he has been determined to hear that prophecy in its entirety. This is the weapon he has been seeking so assiduously since his return: the knowledge of how to destroy you."

The sun had risen fully now: Dumbledore's office was bathed in it. The glass case in which the sword of Godric Gryffindor resided gleamed white and opaque, the fragments of the instruments Harriet had thrown to the floor glistened like raindrops, and behind him, the baby Fawkes made soft chirruping noises in his nest of ashes.

"The prophecy's smashed," Harrietsaid blankly. "I was pulling Neville up those benches in the - the room where the archway was, and I ripped his robes and it fell…"

"The thing that smashed was merely the record of the prophecy kept by the Department of Mysteries. But the prophecy was made to somebody, and that person has the means of recalling it perfectly"

"Who heard it?" asked Harriet, though she thought she knew the answer already.

"I did," said Dumbledore. "On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog's Head inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post. I turned to leave."

Dumbledore got to his feet and walked past Harriet to the black cabinet that stood beside Fawkes's perch. He bent down, slid back a catch and took from inside it the shallow stone basin, carved with runes around the edges, in which Harriet had seen her father tormenting Snape.

Dumbledore walked back to the desk, placed the Pensieve upon it, and raised his wand to his own temple. From it, he withdrew silvery, gossamer-fine strands of thought clinging to the wand and deposited them into the basin. He sat back down behind his desk and watched his thoughts swirl and drift inside the Pensieve for a moment.

Then, with a sigh, he raised his wand and prodded the silvery substance with its tip. A figure rose out of it, draped in shawls, her eyes magnified to enormous size behind her glasses, and she revolved slowly; her feet in the basin. But when Sibyll Trelawney spoke, it was not in her usual ethereal, mystic voice, but in the harsh, hoarse tones Harry had heard her use once before:

_"The one with the power to vanquish the - Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark them as his equal, but they will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…" _

The slowly revolving Professor Trelawney sank back into the silver mass below and vanished.

The silence within the office was absolute. Neither Dumbledore nor Harry nor any of the portraits made a sound. Even Fawkes had fallen silent.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said very quietly, for Dumbledore, still staring at the Pensieve, seemed completely lost in thought. "It… did that mean… what did that mean?"

"It meant," said Dumbledore, "that the person who has the only chance of conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago. This boy would be born to parents who had already defied Voldemort three times."

"It means - me?"

Dumbledore surveyed him for a moment through his glasses.

"The odd thing, Harriet," he said softly, "is that it may not have meant you at all. Sibyll's prophecy could have applied to two wizard boys, both born at the end of July that year, both of whom had parents in the Order of the Phoenix, both sets of parents having narrowly escaped Voldemort three times. One, of course, was you. The other was Neville Longbottom."

"But then… but then, why was it my name on the prophecy and not Neville's? As much as I love him I'm just wondering."

"The official record was re-labeled after Voldemort's attack on you as a child," said Dumbledore.

"It seemed plain to the keeper of the Hall of Prophecy that Voldemort could only have tried to kill you because he knew you to be the one to whom Sibyll was referring."

"Then - it might _not_ be me?" said Harry

"I am afraid," said Dumbledore slowly, looking as though every word cost him a great effort, "that there is no doubt that it is you."

"But you said - Neville was born at the end of July, too - and his mum and dad –"

"You are forgetting the next part of the prophecy, the final identifying feature of the boy who could vanquish Voldemort… Voldemort himself would mark him as his equal. And so he did, Harriet. He chose you, not Neville. He gave you the scar that has proved both blessing and curse."

"But he might have chosen wrong!" said Harriet. "He might have marked the wrong person!"

"He chose the child he thought most likely to be a danger to him," said Dumbledore. "And notice this, Harriet: he chose, not the _pureblood_ (which, according to his creed, is the only kind of wizard worth being or knowing) but the _half-blood,_ like _himself_. He saw _himself_ in you before he had ever seen you, and in marking you with that scar, he did not kill you, as he intended, but gave you powers, and a future, which have fitted you to escape him not _once_, but _four_ times so far - something that neither your parents, _nor_ Neville's parents, ever achieved."

"Why did he do it, then?" said Harriet, who felt numb and cold. "Why did he try and kill me as a baby? He should have waited to see whether Neville or I looked more dangerous when we were older and tried to kill whoever it was then –"

"That might, indeed, have been the more practical course," said Dumbledore, "except that Voldemort's information about the prophecy was incomplete. The Hog's Head inn, which Sibyll chose for its cheapness, has long attracted, shall we say, a more interesting clientele than the Three Broomsticks. As you and your friends found out to your cost, and I to mine that night, it is a place where it is never safe to assume you are not being overheard. Of course, I had not dreamed, when I set out to meet Sibyll Trelawney, that I would hear anything worth overhearing. My - our - one stroke of good fortune was that the eavesdropper was detected only a short way into the prophecy and thrown from the building."

"So he only heard -?"

"He heard only the beginning, the part foretelling the birth of a boy in July to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort. Consequently, he could not warn his master that to attack you would be to risk transferring power to you, and marking you as his equal. So Voldemort never knew that there might be danger in attacking you, that it might be wise to wait, to learn more. He did not know that you would have power the Dark Lord knows not–"

"But I don't!" said Harriet, in a strangled voice. "I haven't any powers he hasn't got, I couldn't fight the way he did tonight, I can't possess people or - or kill them-"

"There is a room in the Department of Mysteries," interrupted Dumbledore, "that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. That power took you to save Sirius tonight. That power also saved you from possession by Voldemort, because he could not bear to reside in a body so full of the force he detests. In the end, it mattered not that you could not close your mind. It was your heart that saved you."

Harriet closed her eyes. If he had not gone to save Sirius, Sirius would not have died… More to stave off the moment when she would have to think of Sirius again, Harriet asked, without caring much about the answer,

"The end of the prophecy... it was something about neither... can live..."

"…while the other survives," said Dumbledore.

"So," said Harriet, dredging up the words from what felt like a deep well of despair inside him, "so does that mean that… that one of us has got to kill the other one… in the end?"

"Yes." said Dumbledore.

For a long time, neither of them spoke. Somewhere far beyond the office walls, Harriet could hear the sound of voices, students heading down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast, perhaps. It seemed impossible that there could be people in the world who still desired food, who laughed, who neither knew nor cared that Sirius Black was gone forever Sirius seemed a million miles away already; even now a part of Harriet still believed that if she had only pulled back that veil, she would have found Sirius looking back at her, greeting her, perhaps, with his laugh like a bark…

Two hours later they were on their way to the train. Harriet med up with Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna.

"I've been thinking about something Dumbledore gave us last night." Harriet said.

"Yeah?" Ron said.

"That even though there's a fight coming up in front of us we have something that he doesn't." she said.

"Which is what?" Hermione asked.

"Something worth fighting for." Harriet said.

Then they headed to the train and headed home.


End file.
